There are very few games today – online poker, online casino, or otherwise — that bear a striking resemblance to similar games that were played 5000 years ago. However, through archaeological evidence, we can see that backgammon boards on which the game was played so many years ago in ancient times, have not changed much and are very easily identified. While the name of the game may have changed, the set up of these boards are very similar to what we know as classic backgammon today.
Ancient Roman relics clearly show backgammon boards on coins and other artifacts. One version of the game was known as tabula, which actually means ‘board’ or ‘table.’ The discovery of an ancient Roman bronze mirror, for example, shows two people having a game of tabula with the 12-lined board clearly visible in the stunning decoration on the back of the mirror. While tabula was different to Duodecim Scriptorum or senat, for example, the constant between the many versions was the backgammon board.
The material used to make these boards has also changed over time. The first backgammon boards were made from wood or bone. Later Roman versions had the board made from pliable leather to make it easily transportable. The counters were usually made from wood, stone, ebony and ivory, depending on the class of people playing and the availability of the materials. The history of backgammon is long and illustrious but the fun that was had so many thousands of years ago is still experienced today by players around the world.
