Iran lays claim to world's oldest backgammon set
(By AFP): Archaelogists in Iran have said they have uncovered what they believe is the world's oldest backgammon set, which could make the country the cradle of board games. According to the Internet site of Iran's Cultural Heritage organisation, the game, complete with 60 pieces, was found in the ruins of the so-called Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchestan province the far southeast of the Islamic republic...
The report said Iranian archeologists working on the relics of the 5,000-year-old civilisation believe the set is up to two centuries older than previous discoveries in Mesopotamian sites in what is now Iraq.
"The backgammon set reveals intriguing clues to the lifestyle of those people," said Mansour Sajjadi, head of the research team.
"The board is rectangular and made of ebony, which did not grow in Sistan and merchants used to import it from India," he added, saying the set also displayed a high degree of craftsmanship.
However, he said researchers were still trying to work out why the set had 60 pieces. Modern varieties of the game have 30 pieces.
Backgammon, a blend of luck and strategy and still a favorite in the region, is believed to be the human race's oldest board game.
Located near Zabol and the Afghan border, the Burnt City is believed to have been built 3200 BC and flourished until it was destroyed by fire in 2100 BC.
so this completes the set. chess, and backgammon. mind you, i dont know why u need archaelogists to prove you such things. i could have told them iranians invented this game! ALLAFI like this must be the work of iranians ;-). btw- i hope they start playing the game with the proper rule, and that is aghaa jaan nemituni tekoonesh bedi bad az inkeh mohreh mano tu khoonat zadi!! lol
ali
(at December 13, 2004 08:02 PM)
That was really interesting news, thanks. Could you please provide some link in your post? I know a few mates who would love this post. cheers.
P.S.: A very important part of backgammon is its politics, including the KORKORI :-)
(at December 13, 2004 10:21 PM)
hi, here is the link:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041207/wl_mideast_afp/afplifestyle_iran_heritage_041207161034
i agree that korkori plays a very important part in it. i mean i usually dont play it unless someone makes a claim that they are going to kick my ass. then i have to show them how wrong they are, and how much better i am compared to them ;-)
(at December 14, 2004 02:06 PM)
There is fact, the history willbe repeat. the golden days of persian life will come soon...the nice people will grow and devils will go to hill.:) this is promised. dont worry if you are a nice guy. :)
(at December 15, 2004 12:56 PM)
Well reality, thanks for your optimistic comment. However, there is no such thing as "promised". It simply doesn't exist. it's "us" who have to change things for good.
There is no such thing as "promised".
(at December 15, 2004 02:00 PM)
its nice to see some people being optimistic. but to be honest, i am not! i mean its nice to think such things will happen, but who is actually going to do it?!
(at December 15, 2004 02:16 PM)
That's exactly what I said, there is nothing called "promised", I'm sure this kind of thinking has kept us back and made us passive for a long time. We should be more realistic, and nothing will change unless someone does something, and that someone should be 'us' otherwise things will change in favour of others.
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