#22: A Game of Backgammon
Humans have always liked to be entertained. There’s evidence of that in ancient board games and musical instruments. Although mancala is believed to be the earliest-known board game, backgammon is also pretty old. Evidence of backgammon dates back 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Archaeologists in the 1920s discovered dice and a few boards that look a lot like our modern-day backgammon game.
Although these artifacts were found in Mesopotamia, which is modern-day Iraq, there is evidence that many ancient societies played a game that was extremely similar. The Egyptians, Sumerians, and Persians all played a version of backgammon. So, next time you’re playing a game, remember that you’re having a very similar experience to someone who lived in ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia!