Iraq

Justin Corfield

In the early 1930s the British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley, digging at the site of the ancient city of Ur, uncovered what became known as the “Game of Ur,” then the oldest surviving board game in the world, dating from 2600 b.c.e., although a game recently found in Iran is believed to 500 years older. It consisted of a board inlaid with lapis lazuli, shell, bone, and red limestone; had 38 squares; and was found with two sets of seven pieces. Many scholars and games enthusiasts have tried to work out the possible rules, and although a commercial version of it was made out of cardboard in the 1970s, the exact rules have not been ascertained. ...

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