Ancient West Asian Tomb Reveals Shocking Objects from More Than 4,000 Years Ago

A research team led by two archaeologists Walter Crist of Leiden University (Netherlands) and Rahman Abdullayev of the Minnesota Historical Society (USA) discovered six ancient chessboards from ancient tombs and caves in Azerbaijan.

Two of the six ancient chessboards found in caves and tombs in the West Asian country of Azerbaijan - Photo: European Journal of Archaeology

Dating back some 4,000 years, each design resembles the signature motif on which the ancient board game Hounds and Jackals was based.

It was previously believed that Hounds and Jackals were invented by the Egyptians because they were excavated from the ancient tomb of a government official in that country.

However, new discoveries – scattered across areas of the Abşeron Peninsula and the Gobustan Reserve – show how popular the game was at the same time.

Hounds and Jackals chessboard in an ancient Egyptian tomb - Photo: Met Museum

Among the six sites where this type of artifact was excavated, one was an ancient tomb of wealthy people, and another was a cave where Bronze Age hunters once took shelter.

Some of these boards date from the second half of the third millennium, somewhere between 4,000 and 4,500 years ago. So they are much older than the ones excavated in Egypt.

According to a paper published in the European Journal of Archaeology , the dating of the six chessboards suggests that the game may have originated in West Asia, not Egypt.

However, artifacts from both West Asia and Egypt are surprising. This shows that the idea of creating a chessboard existed very early in human history.

This means that if you enjoy playing chess - no matter what kind - you are repeating what Asians did thousands of years ago.

An ancient chessboard used by West Asian herders - Photo: European Journal of Archaeology

Regardless of the game's origins, the hobby quickly found its way into the lives of many people, from the nobility of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt to the herdsmen of the Caucasus, the ancient Assyrian merchants of Anatolia, the pyramid builders...

“The rapid spread of this game demonstrates the game's ability to act as a ‘social lubricant’, facilitating interactions across social boundaries. This remains true today,” the authors conclude.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/mo-co-tay-a-tiet-lo-vat-dung-gay-soc-hon-4000-nam-truoc-172240923072856328.htm