The History Of Backgammon: How It All Began
The game of backgammon has one of the oldest histories among the world's most popular board games. Backgammon can be played by two players, with the goal of removing all the checkers from the board.
According to experts, backgammon can be traced from the Egyptian game senet, wherein the moves of the players were determined by the roll of dice. In ancient Mesopotamia, there exists a game called, The Royal Game of Ur, another precursor of today's tables games. In Iran, archaeologists unearthed evidence that shows backgammon must have had its own ancestor in the Burnt City as far back as 3000 B.C, and may have predated the table sets at Mesopotamia.
Even the ancient Romans played games similar to backgammon. The Romans had a game of twelve lines wherein they used a board that had three rows of 12 points each. And like backgammon, this game (called "Ludus duodecim scriptorum") involved moving pieces around the board as determined by the roll of dice. In the Byzantine empire, during the time of Emperor Zenno, around 476 A.D., a game called "tabula" existed, which was a board game that involved throwing three dice to move pieces in counter clockwise direction, with tht purpose of bearing off all the pieces off the board.
Backgammon has beginnings in the east as well. Historical references note that a raja visiting from India traded games with Burzoe from Persia, who demonstrated a game played with dice made from ivory and teak on a board.
However, modern backgammon must have began in France during the 11th century, when a game called jeux de tables, became widely popular among local gamblers. Further north of Europe, tables games were also being played in Germany and Iceland, in the 12th and 13th centuries.
In England, during the Renaissance, government laws and church leaders frowned upon playing tables, as these were popular among gamblers. Later, in Sweden in the 17th century, tables games were being played; these games had a wooden board and made use of checkers. Eventually, in the 18th century, backgammon was back in circuit among English clergymen. As a matter of fact, a document was published in 1743 detailing the rules and strategies of backgammon.
It can also be said that the English are credited for coining the word "backgammon" - which is said to have been derived from "back" and "gamen," words that meant "game" or "play."
Today, backgammon is widely played around the world, especially in the United States. In 1927, gaming clubs in the Lower East Side of New York City introduced the use of the doubling cube to the game. The point of using the cube was to help estimate the value of winning the game from a particular position.
The history of backgammon is a long one, and shows us that the game will be played by many people around the world for many years to come.