Boardgames in antiquity

The construction of the dam on the Tigris River flooding the ancient city of Hasankeyf has had my undivided attention in my earlier post Damned Dams! This was actually the third time I focused on the disastrous and irreversible consequences of building those dams.

The “good” news, in this case, is the recovery of a complete set of gaming pieces at Başur Höyük that was threatened by the Ilisu Dam project. This dam has been completed in 2019 and started to fill that same year. It is part of the greater Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) that counts at least 22 such dams.

Today, I’m concentrating on the beneficial side of this kind of operations, and I am not talking about the irrigation plans and the production of electric power. These are rescue excavations that are carried out in extremis to salvage as much as possible from the sites before they are flooded forever. This situation is far from ideal for in the overall hurry, choices have to be made as to what is important or unique enough to deserve care and attention. With a deep sigh, I admit that this is better than doing nothing at all, but still …

The 18 tombs that could be explored before being submerged yielded some 80 kg of metal artifacts, mostly copper but also gold and silver. Significant is also the thousands of beads and jewels made of mountain crystals, as well remains of human bones. The riches and diversity of the finds, including cylindrical seals, led archaeologists to believe that the area around the Başur Mound where these tombs were found was an important administrative center around 3,100 BC.

The most significant find was a set of gaming pieces rescued during the excavations of 2011 and 2012 from a gravesite. Meanwhile, they have been dated to 3100-2800 BC, i.e., early Bronze Age. They possibly constitute the world’s oldest board game and are the pride of the Archaeological Museum of Batman near Hasankeyf.

[Picture from Middle East Eye, Nimet Kirac]

These are 40 small stones carved in shapes varying from pigs, dogs and elephants to pyramidal, circular and bullet-shaped pieces. They were painted in red, blue, green, black and white. Dice and round tokens made of white shell topped with a round black stone also belong to this game. Nothing of the board itself has been found as it probably disintegrated over time, but some wooden sticks may eventually prove to be part of this game. Until now, the playing rules are not known, and the research team is welcoming everyone’s suggestion!

Based on the fact that this gaming set was found in a grave holding one adult and three children, archaeologists are inclined to believe that it was a hunting, strategy and racing game for two players. For now, they called it the Dogs and Pigs game. As such, it is presented on a chequerboard at the museum. 

Similar boards existed in ancient Greece as well, as for instance a form of Tavli (not unlike backgammon) which is still played today. I would not be surprised if this were one of Alexander’s favorite games!