12 Ancient Board Games From Around The World

 

Mancala may be the oldest board game in the world as archaeologists found evidence of it dating as far back as 6000 years before the common era. Making Mancala and its versions probably the oldest board games ever.

Though it was found in Jordan, the game is very popular in Africa, some findings in Egypt and Ethiopia suggest the game spreading in the continent around the 11th century BCE.

So if you are looking to add ancient Egyptian board games to your collection, Mancala would make a great addition.

The rules are fairly simple, usually, there are five holes in front of each player and one bigger one on the right-hand side. With four pebbles in the small holes, you have to empty each hole going clockwise.

You always put one in the big one to your right, but never in the opponent’s.

As you go around, your points are the number of pebbles in the big hole, so have to play smart, while making life difficult for your opponent.

You can buy handmade Mancalas on Etsy and you can also find modern versions of this fun ancient board game on Amazon.

Explore ancient board games from around the world and learn about the oldest board games still played today. We wanted to create a list with the oldest board games for curious gamers who want to know the history behind their favorite board game.

You probably heard and even played with Go, Mancala, Chess, and Snakes & Ladders but do you know how far their history goes back? You’ll read about ancient Egyptian board games, Viking chess, ancient Roman board games, ancient Chinese board games as well as lesser-known but historically important and fascinating board games from other parts of our planet.

While getting to know the known oldest board games in the world you will gain a new appreciation for your favorite board games.

A surely exciting abstract strategy board game that was the most popular game for eight centuries until chess took over in the 12th.

Hnefatafl also known as Tafl is one of the many ancient Nordic and Celtic board games that soldiers and scholars played. There are some theories that it’s actually based on the ancient Roman board game Latrunculi.

Tafl is a bit more complex and the appearance is much more evolved as well. Naturally, it depended on whose board was it, a chief or royalty owned one, without a doubt they were beautifully crafted.

The game has a number of different variations depending on which region it was played in, the board’s size varied from 7X7, 9X9, or 18X18 with a different layout of the figures.

The main goal is for one player to get the king out from the center to the edge of the board, while the other has to capture it.It isn’t just fun to play but incredibly beautiful as well, which makes it a great piece of decoration.

If you are looking to create your own oldest board games collection, then do not miss this fantastic game.