A Short Backgammon History

admin · Site Admin Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 862

If you're looking for a new game online, chances are you've heard of backgammon. However, contrary to popular thought, backgammon is anything but new as the following short backgammon history will illustrate.

Did you know that the earliest traces of the backgammon board were found by archaeologists in Egypt? In ancient Egyptian culture, backgammon was known as Senat and although the rules differed from those of regular backgammon, the appearance of the Senat board is almost identical to the board used for backgammon. Historians believe that the game was also popular in Roman society, where it was known as Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum. This is a piece of backgammon history that has not been widely known until the present day.

The backgammon dice are thought to have been added to the game some time around the 6th century. From that point, our knowledge of backgammon history dims until 1025, when the Crusaders returning to Britain brought the game home with them from the Middle East.
Backgammon quickly became popular in taverns across the country where the working classes gathered to socialize and relax after long working days. This is where the first attempts to use backgammon for gambling were made and with great success.

Modern backgammon history points to the 1970's as being the game's highest point in the last century. Nearly every household in the United States owned a backgammon board, where the game was played mostly for fun between friends and families. However, in the late nineties when the online gambling industry was developed, backgammon was resurrected. Online versions were developed to make use of the game's potential for gambling. Today you can find backgammon online at gaming sites all over the internet, proving that backgammon may be an old game but its interesting journey through the ages is far from over.