One of the world's oldest backgammon games , along with 60 pieces, has been discovered under the legendary ruins of the burnt city in the Sistan-Baluchistan province of southeastern Iran.
Iranian archaeologists working on the relics of this 5,000- year-old civilization claim that this backgammon is much older than what has already been discovered in Mesopotamia, and their evidence is strong enough to claim that the board game was first played in the burnt city and then transferred to other civilizations.
"Backgammon reveals intriguing clues about the lifestyle of these people," said Mansour Sajjadi, head of the research team.
" Backgammon of ebony wood , which did not grow in Sistan, and the merchants used to import it from India."
He added that the painting features an engraved snake that coils around itself 20 times, thus producing 20 slots for the game, better known in Persian as Backgammon. The engraving, artistically done, indicates that the artisans of the burnt city were masters in this field.
"The 60 pieces were also discovered in a terracotta pot near the painting. They were made of common stones quarried in the city, including agate and turquoise," Sajjadi added.
Experts are still wondering why they played the 60-piece game and trying to figure out its rules, but at least it shows that it is 100-200 years older than the one discovered in Mesopotamia.
I'm also intrigued that the inhabitants of ancient civilizations, who are widely believed to have been concerned with their daily survival, could afford to indulge in such luxuries as backgammon games .
