‘Game of the twenty squares’
A game with friends
Loaned From: Vorderasiatisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Serpentine stone
700–500 BCE
Türkiye
Vorderasiatisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Details
Culture/Civilisation
Ancient Mesopotamia
Theme
The Great River Civilisations outside India: Mesopotamia, Egypt and China
Subtheme
Mesopotamia – The Land of the Two Rivers
Case Title
A game with friends
Display Location
Coomaraswamy Hall
Findspot
Zincirli, Türkiye
Measurements
2.2 x 15.3 x 6.3 cm
Accession Number
S03688
Description
Throwing dice, players moved their tokens across the twenty squares of this board, in a game requiring intellect and strategy. This may have been a humbler version of the famous ‘Royal Game’ found in the tombs at Ur. Enjoyed by royalty as well as commoners, games like this were popular in Mesopotamia and many other cultures. Dice and game pieces have been found at Harappan sites. Similar games, like chausar, are still played in India today. Many modern board games have their roots in the ancient world.
