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History of Games Timeline
Century
3000BC-Royal Game of Ur oldest complete set of gaming equipment ever found
-Senet appears in Egyptian dynastic history through the 4th cent. B.C.
-Possible Mancala-type boards in the Sahara
2000 BC-Wei-qi in China (later called "Go" in Japan)
1800 BC-Dogs & Jackals found in Egyptian tombs
1400 BC-Morris and Mancala variant boards from the Temple of Kurna, Egypt
700 BC-Earliest records of cubical Dice
Birth of JesusBackgammon Thumbnail-Record of Emperor Claudius playing Tabula (Early Backgammon)
300's-Reference to Nard (Backgammon variant) in the Babylonian Talmud
400's-Tabula (early Backgammon) game lost by Emperor Zeno recorded
-Hnefatafl games being played in Scandinavia
600's-Go (Wei-qi) comes to Japan from China 4th, or 6th Century.
700's-A Persian romance tells of Chess coming from India circa. 650-850 AD
900'sFitchneal Thumbnail-Ballinderry artifact, Tafl-type Fidchell game board carved 10th century
-Welsh literature mentions a tafl-type? game Tawlbwrdd
1100'sLewis Chessmen Thumbnail-3-in-a-row games first appear in Europe
The Isle of Lewis Chessmen are believed to have been carved
1200'sMorris Thumbnail-Alphonso X's "Book of Games" written circa 1283. Describes versions of : Chess, Tables (Backgammon) Morris, Alquerque.
-Gretis Saga of Iceland mentions Hala- tafl the Fox Game
-Earliest relations to Snakes and Ladders games in India
1300'sCards Thumbnail-Earliest European mention of Cards in Spain 1371
1400's-Tarot ThumbnailTarot games first played in Italy 1430's
-12- Man Morris version first seems to appear.
-1440's Poch card game, ancestor to Rummy Royale, Michigan Rummy
-Standard card suits hearts clubs spades diamonds created in France c. 1480
1500'sCheckers Thumbnail-Noddy - precurser to Cribbage
-Game of Goose
-ancestor to most modern childrens' race board games.
-First clear references to Checkers in 16th century
1600'sCribbage Thumbnail-Modern Cribbage rules standardized in England.
-Solitaire board games appears in the court of Louis XI.
-Earliest reference to "Backgammon", Oxford English Dictionary, c.1645 -earlier name was Tables
1700'sPope Joan Thumbnail-Earliest reference to Pope Joan card game 1730's.
-First mention of Solitaire card games within a few years of first records of cartomancy -fortune telling with cards or tarot decks 1765
1800's-Bridge develops from earlier games such as Whist.
-Poker first mentioned in print, 1836
1850's-1863 Ludo printed in England based on Indian Pachisi (Parcheesi in US).
-Chinese Checkers first published in the west 1892.
-Snakes & Ladders published in England 1890's
1900-The Landlord's Game -earliest ancestor of Monopoly patented 1904./
-Lexico invented 1931 - becomes Scrabble 1947
1950-Othello published in Japan 1968, based on 19th century Reversi.
1960-Cathedral invented by a New Zealand man in 1962, and sold to a game publisher in 1979.
1970's-Dungeons & Dragons published 1974
-Tablero da Jesus (also Tablero da Gucci) drinking game invented by SCA member
-Pente published 1978.