Royal Game of Ur
Ancient race game from Mesopotamia, rediscovered at Ur.
The Royal Game of Ur is a two-player strategy race game from the tables family, originating in ancient Mesopotamia in the early third millennium BC. It was played by people across all social levels throughout the Middle East, and game boards have been uncovered as far away as Crete and Cyprus. One board in the British Museum, dating to around 2600–2400 BC, is among the oldest known game boards in existence.
The game is often linked to another ancient game, the Game of Twenty Squares, which it closely resembles. At its peak, the Royal Game of Ur took on spiritual meaning; players believed that events in the game could predict their future or carry messages from gods, spirits, or their own souls. It declined significantly after the early first millennium BC, with the last known boards dating to the Parthian period, after which it fell out of use—possibly evolving into, or being replaced by, a form of tables game. It was eventually forgotten everywhere except among the Jewish community in Kochi, India, who played a version called Asha until the 1950s, though its direct lineage to the Royal Game of Ur is disputed and not established canon.
The game got its name from the English archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley, who first rediscovered it during his excavations of the Royal Cemetery at Ur between 1922 and 1934. Other archaeologists later found copies across the Middle East. A partial description of the rules, written in cuneiform on a Babylonian clay tablet from the second century BC by the scribe Itti-Marduk-balāṭu, survives intact in the British Museum. Using this tablet and the board’s shape, British Museum curator Irving Finkel reconstructed the basic rules. The goal is to move all one’s pieces along the board and bear them off before the opponent does. Like modern backgammon, the game mixes strategy and luck.
**History**
Boards for the Game of Ur have been found in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Crete. Four boards resembling the Game of Twenty Squares were discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb, each with small boxes for dice and pieces; many had senet boards on the reverse, so the same board could be flipped to play either game. The game was enjoyed by all classes—a graffito version, carved with a sharp object like a dagger, was found on a winged bull gate sentinel from Sargon II’s palace in Khorsabad.
Quick Facts
- Italic Title
- no
- Title
- Royal Game of Ur
- Genre
- Board game · Race game · Dice game
- Players
- 2
- Setup Time
- 10–30 seconds
- Playing Time
- Usually around 30 minutes
- Random Chance
- Medium (dice rolling)
- Skills
- Strategy · Tactics · Counting · Probability
- Aka
- Game of Twenty Squares · Game of Ur
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Royal Game of Ur was first rediscovered by English archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley during his excavations of the Royal Cemetery at Ur between 1922 and 1934. Five gameboards were found there, all of identical type but made of different materials and decorations. The game was later found by other archaeologists across the Middle East, including in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Crete. Four boards resembling the Game of Twenty Squares were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, some with senet boards on the reverse.
Reader's Guide
The game acquired spiritual significance at its height, with events believed to reflect a player's future and convey messages from deities or supernatural beings. A Babylonian clay tablet written by the scribe Itti-Marduk-balāṭu (c. 177 BC) provides partial rules and vague predictions for players landing on certain spaces, such as 'You will find a friend' or 'You will become powerful like a lion.' Irving Finkel, a British Museum curator, reconstructed basic rules from this tablet and the board's shape. The object is to run the course and bear all one's pieces off before the opponent, combining strategy and luck. The game remained popular until late antiquity, when it stopped being played, possibly evolving into or being displaced by a form of tables game. It was forgotten except among the Jewish population of Kochi, India, who played a version called 'Asha' until the 1950s. A 2013 study of nearly one hundred boards showed significant changes in board layout over 1,200 years, indicating rules and play changed over time.
Did You Know?
- The game was played using two sets of seven pieces, with movements determined by rolling four-sided tetrahedron dice.
- A graffito version of the game was carved into a winged bull gate sentinel from Sargon II’s palace in Khorsabad.
- The only known rules tablet for the Royal Game of Ur (BM 33333) is intact in the British Museum.
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