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 Jesus | -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's | -Ballinderry artifact, Tafl-type Fidchell game board carved 10th century
-Welsh literature mentions a tafl-type? game Tawlbwrdd |
1100's | -3-in-a-row games first appear in Europe The Isle of Lewis Chessmen are believed to have been carved |
1200's | -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's | -Earliest European mention of Cards in Spain 1371 |
1400's | -Tarot 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's | -Noddy - precurser to Cribbage
-Game of Goose -ancestor to most modern childrens' race board games. -First clear references to Checkers in 16th century |
1600's | -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's | -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. |