The ancient board game known as "Hounds and Jackals" or the "Game of 58 Holes" was long thought to have originated in Egypt, but game boards found in Azerbaijan suggest that may not be the case.
Metropolitan Museum of ArtA well-preserved example of “Hounds and Jackals,” this one from Luxor, Egypt.
Board games have long been a ubiquitous part of modern life. People play them at parties, at bars, and at home. There are board game clubs and board game stores, and there seem to be an endless number of new games coming out every year. So, where and when did board games come from? That’s a historical mystery that experts are still trying to solve.
For a long time, most have believed that the oldest board games originated in ancient Egypt. However, a new study has challenged that assumption. The examination of board games discovered on the Absheron Peninsula of Azerbaijan suggests that such games may have originated in Asia, not Egypt.
“Hounds And Jackals” Game Pieces Found On Azerbaijan’s Absheron Peninsula
The debate over the origin of board games comes down to a game known as the “Game of 58 Holes” or “Hounds and Jackals.” This game is one of the earliest recognized games from antiquity, and experts have long believed that it first originated in Egypt. However, a new study in the European Journal of Archaeology has challenged this idea by studying game pieces discovered on the Absheron Peninsula in Azerbaijan.
Researchers discovered “six patterns with the distinctive geometry of the game” at various sites across the Absheron Peninsula. The best example of these was found in a rock shelter known as Çapmalı, which is located in the Gobustan National Reserve near the western shore of the Caspian Sea.
European Journal of ArchaeologyThe Çapmalı rock shelter. The stone in the center is where researchers came across the Game of 58 Holes.
By studying the site, researchers determined that the “game pattern on stone… can be associated with the shelter’s earliest, Middle Bronze Age, layer.”
These examples of “Hounds and Jackals” confirm that the game was widespread in the ancient world. Researchers believe that these examples also challenge the long-held belief that the game first originated in Egypt.
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Where Did The First Board Game Come From?
Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg)/Wikimedia CommonsAn example of the Game of 58 Holes that was found in Fayum, Egypt.
For a long time, the oldest example of the “Hounds and Jackals” game came from Egypt. Researchers found a version of the game in a tomb near Luxor that dates to the time of Mentuhotep II, a ruler who reigned between roughly 2060 and 2009 B.C.E. However, a fragment of the game found in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Nuzi may be even older, possibly dating to the Neo-Sumerian period of 2112 to 2004 B.C.E.
Meanwhile, the oldest examples of the game pieces found on the Absheron Peninsula seem to date to the Middle Bronze Age, from 2000 to 1600 B.C.E.
This all seems to challenge the logic that the game originated in Egypt.
“It is possible, given the present evidence from Anatolia and the Caucasus, that this game may not have originated in Egypt after all,” the study’s authors explained. “This has been suggested in the past… but now there is more evidence for the early popularity of this game far from Egypt.”
European Journal of ArchaeologyThe game board found in Çapmalı.
They added: “The diversity of the 58 holes board in south-western Asia — as well as its early appearance and longevity there — offers a stronger case for an origin further north than Egypt.”
For now, however, much remains to be uncovered about what just might be the oldest board game in human history.
After reading about the study of the “Game of 58 Holes” found in Azerbaijan, discover the story of Elizabeth Magie, the inventor of Monopoly who had a very different vision for the popular game. Then, for a different kind of gaming experience, look through these photos from the heyday of arcades.
