Discovering-old-board-games.pdf

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Discovering
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2022 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/discoveringoldboO000bell
WA
Discovering
OLD BOARD
GAMES
_R. C. Bell
Shire Publications Ltd
2. War games
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3. Games of position
4. Mancala games
5. Calculation games
6. Dice games
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Bibliography
Index
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The author wishes to acknowledge information and assistance
given by correspondents in many parts of the world, including
Mr K. Yano, Kobe, Japan; Miss E. Scott, H.M. Consul, Stuttgart,
Germany; Lars Berglund, Hagersten, Sweden; Dr R. Pankhurst,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Miss A. M. D. Ashley, Salisbury,
Mr J. Mosesson, Stowmarket, England.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Bngland; Mr K. R. Dunn, Long Beach, California, U.S.A.; and
The author has also been helped in translating foreign articles
by Mr M. C. Oswald, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, (German); Miss
Fiona Brookes, Durham, (French); Mr J. Mosesson, Stowmarket,
(Swedish); and Mr K. Yano, Kobe, (Japanese).
The author and publishers wish to thank the Oxford University
Press for allowing material previously published in Board and
Table Games of Many Civilisations, Vols I and II, to be included
in this present work.
The author is indebted to the curator of the Brunei National
Museum for obtaining an article written in Malay on pasang; and
to Mr Rashid of the Department of Physiology, Singapore Univer-
sity, for translating it into English.
Copyright © 1973 and 1980 by R. C. Bell. First published 1973. Second
System, without permission in writing from the publishers, Shire Publi-
cations Ltd, Cromwell House, Church Street, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury,
Bucks, HP179AJ, UK.
Printed in Great Britain by Hunt Barnard Printing Ltd, Aylesbury, Bucks.
edition 1980. No. 182 in the Discovering series. ISBN 0 85263 533 8.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, inc-
luding photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval
2
INTRODUCTION
Interest in old board games may arise from finding some bygone
relicin an antique shop, seeing a display on the shelves of a museum,
from stumbling across obscure games in travellers’ accounts, or’
in archaeological references to fragmentary gaming-equipment
discovered on ancient sites.
This book has been written to provide the enquirer with some
of the answers to questions he may wish to ask, and to whet his
curiosity to explore deeper into the curious byways of man’s pro-
gress as revealed by a study of his leisure diversions.
Board games fall conveniently into six groups: Race games—
with the object of reaching some part of the board with one or
more pieces before the opponent. War games—in which the des-
truction of an opposing formation, the capture of a specific piece,
or the occupation of an enemy citadel is achieved. Games of
position—where the players strive to occupy particular squares or
to marshal their pieces on defined portions of the board, or to
occupy more area than their opponent. Mancala games—which
depend upon the rapid calculation of the numbers of pieces in
particular cups and form a distinct and widespread group of
games. Calculation games—which were originally based on the
philosophy of numbers developed by Pythagoras. Dice games—
the throws of dice are interpreted in some competitive way.
Most games fall easily into one of these groups, but a few can be
included with equal justification in either of two groups. In
Tablan there is a dual objective of capturing enemy pieces and
occupying enemy squares and it could be classified as a war game,
though probably better as a game of position; while Conspiracy
can be regarded as a race game with the devil taking the hindmost,
or as a game of position with one player occupying one more
shelter than the other.
For ease of reference the games have been arranged in rough
Archaeologists tend to disregard the importance of games in
indicating contacts between civilisations. A current archaeological:
problem concerns the connection, if any, in the Bronze Age
between the Wessex Culture and Egypt. Faience beads have been
recovered from graves in both areas, and this has been advanced
by some as evidence of intercourse between the two societies.
Chemical analysis of the glazes of the beads shows a far higher tin
content in the British beads, but in spite of this some still argue
chronological order within each group, the earlier games usually
being simpler, and the most recent more elaborate.
that they were exported from Egypt. During this period of c. 1500
B.C. several games including Senat, played on thirty squares, Tau,
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