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60 Men on the Board? The Mysterious Rules of the Burnt City

On December of 2004 the Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency announced the details of its latest exciting uncovering.  The joint team of Italian and Iranian archeologist had unearthed what might be the original model of the millennia-old backgammon game, from which other versions were copied from and sent out to the rest of the region in later years. 

The game artifacts, found in the Iranian city of Shahr-e Sukhteh (Persian for “burnt city”) exposed a puzzling question for the experts who compared the ancient remains to the modern version of backgammon.  Unlike backgammon remains previously discovered in Mesopotamia that showed a stronger resemblance to the present-day game, the burnt city remains suggested that a civilization 100-200 years older than the former must have had a different set of rules.

The relics of the 5,000-year-old civilization included a rectangular board made of ebony, a material which was probably imported to the region from India.  Where the game pieces differed from the current version is in the board’s 20 slots and not 24 like we know today.  Additionally, 60 pieces made of stone were found nearby that most strongly suggested a different set of rules to the game by this people.  The subject is still debated today and only serves to add to the historical mystique of this most ancient past-time.