Backgammon has a long and fascinating history of more than 5000 years, making it one of the oldest games of civilization. The oldest backgammon board, from one of the earliest versions of the game, was found around 3000 BC. C. in the royal cemetery of Ur of the Chaldeans in southern Mesopotamia (now called Iraq), the birthplace of Abraham.
The game has been played around the world and throughout recorded history. The Egyptian pharaohs enjoyed one form of the game; Tables dating from 1500 BC were found in King Tut’s tomb. The wall paintings in many Egyptian tombs depict people playing, indicating that both common people and pharaohs played it. A thousand years later, the Greeks were playing a form of the game. Homer, Sophocles and Plato mention play in their works. In Rome, the game remained for a long time one of the most popular among patricians. According to reports, Emperor Claudius wrote a book on backgammon.
The Pompeii excavators found a backgammon table in the courtyard of almost every villa. Several early versions of the game were popular in Britain, dating back to the Crusades. It has always been a favorite game of the English. The current form of the game is believed to have evolved in the 10th century. Backgammon has been played in the United States since the 17th century.
However, the duplication cube was only introduced to the game in the early 1920s by an anonymous genius. This greatly improved the quality of backgammon and increased its popularity in the United States. The game had another surge of interest in the 1970s, but its popularity has waned in recent years mainly due to the advent of video games and computer games.
When backgammon is played with the right people and strategy, it can be a fascinating and addictive game for everyone. Hopefully, interest in this ancient game will increase in the near future. Perhaps, if more people discover the true game of backgammon, it will regain the popularity it deserves.
For more information on how to play backgammon online, learn backgammon rules, or get a backgammon table, visit the following website: Backgammon Guide
