Royal game of Ur |
1976 |
Merit, J and L Randall |
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First produced |
1976 |
Players |
2 |
Age(s) |
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Click |
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1 x tablet playing board 2 x sets of 7 wood playing counters; - 1 red - 1 blue 3 x special dice; - 3 gold dots and 3 blanks on each side 1 x instruction sheet Move your counters round the board and return home first to win. While on the centre track, they may be hit and sent back to the start. The original rules have not survived. After careful research, the present rules provide a fast game of skill and excitement, similar to backgammon and ludo. |
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| The original board was made of wood, inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli and red limestone set in bitumen. There were 7 shell and 7 shale counters and the original dice were tetrahedral. The board shows a photograph of the original board, found in Mesopotamia (present day Iraq) and can claim to be among the oldest board games in the world. Ur, mentioned in the Bible as the birth place of Abraham, was already established as a substantial city in the 3rd millennium BC. Excavations conducted between 1922 and 1934 by a team sponsored by the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania under Sir Leonard Woolley, revealed the treasures of the Royal cemetery where important individuals were buried with retinues of servants, including musicians and soldiers. The figure of the goat and tree, named the Ram in the thicket by Sir Leonard Woolley, was found in one of these graves and is reproduced on the box lid. Also discovered were weapons, jewellery, musical instruments and the standard of Ur, a wood lectern shaped object, decorated with scenes which are shown around the edge of the box lid. Other similar gaming boards were also found. This is the best preserved and is on display at the British Museum. |
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