Ancient Games

My interest in ancient games is a passionate combination of several areas -- board games, surface design, making and deploying textiles, and a creative spirit that is bursting to be shared. I have included here my favorite ancient games, links to their historical roots, and places where game boards and supplies may be acquired to keep these games alive. This may be a resource for teachers, homeschoolers, families and DIY nerds. One of the things I am most proud about is that these games can be made and played for a minimal amount of money -- making them cheap and fun.

Ancient Board Games I Love (in alphabetical order)

Alquerque

Ard Ri

Backgammon

Brandubh (Gaelic Tafl)

Canoga/Shut the Box/Fishhead

Carrom

Chess

Checkers/Draughts

Chinese Checkers

Codebreaker (Mastermind)/Wordle

Cribbage

Dominos

Enneadi

Fidchell/Gaelic Chess

Five Field Kono

Fox and Geese

Gluckhaus

Hnefatafl/Tafl

Konane

Mancala

Mehen

Michigan Rummy

Nim

Nine Men's Morris

Pachisi/Parcheesi

Rota

Senet

Siga

Surakarta

Tables (a variation of Backgammon)

Tak

The Game of the Goose

The Royal Game of Ur