eHow launches Android app: Get the best of eHow on the go.

  • Bookmark and Share

Board Games

    Board Games Editor's Picks

    • About Christmas Party Games

      Christmas parties are fun and entertaining celebrations for people of all ages. People look forward to reminiscing with friends and family members and celebrating the joyous season by sharing food and memories. Participating in party activities can create priceless memories sure to last a lifetime. more »

    • Activities for Kids When There is Air Pollution

      It can be challenging to keep kids entertained when there is air pollution or other bad weather and they need to stay inside. There are many different things that you can do with kids of all ages to keep them happy. Use a little creativity with a few things you have around the house and your kids will have more fun than they do on... more »

    • Children's Books Writing Ideas

      Publishers of children's books are always on the look out for new and unique topics. The editors get too many "ho hum" books with the same old and stale ideas coming across their desk. If you want to be published, you need to come up with one of these "wow" subjects. This is especially true with the amount of competition for each book... more »

    • How to Clean Your Child's Room & Keep it Clean

      Cleaning a child's room and keeping it clean can be a source of frustration and irritation for both children and parents alike. However, it need not be a constant source of friction. Creating a system for cleaning a child's room and teaching the system to the child by modeling the behavior and helping the child when necessary will... more »

    • Social Activities for Children

      Social development in children is an essential part of childhood. Simple social activities can help strengthen a child's social abilities and build self confidence that will carry on into adulthood. more »

    Board Games Quick Guides

    • Fun at Home with Kids

      Kids often live in a sugar-fueled vortex of energy and fun. Since kids are hardwired to play and...

    • Arithmetic Basics

      Whether it's to count money or calculate percentages, math is used in everyday life. This guide...

    Board Games Articles

    Wikipedia

    Board game

    A board game is a game in which counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a "board" (a premarked surface usually specific to that game). Like other forms of entertainment, board games can represent nearly any subject.

    There are many different types and styles of board games, including those, at the most-basic level, that have no inherent theme—such as Checkers—as well as more-complicated games with definite subjects, or even narratives, such as Cluedo.

    History

    Board games have been played in most cultures and societies throughout history; some even pre-date literacy skill development in the earliest civilizations. A number of important historical sites, artifacts and documents exist which shed light on early board games. Some of these include:
    *The Jiroft civilization game boards
    *Senet has been found in Predynastic and First Dynasty burials of Egypt, c. 3500 BC and 3100 BC respectively."senet1"> Senet is the oldest board game known to have existed, and was pictured in a fresco found in Merkneras tomb (3300-2700 BC)."senet2">
    *Mehen is another ancient board game from Predynastic Egypt.
    *Go is an ancient strategic board game originating in China
    *Patolli is a board game originating in Mesoamerica, and was played by the ancient Mayans.
    *The Royal Tombs of Ur contained, among others, the Royal Game of Ur. They were excavated by Leonard Woolley, but his books document little on the games found. Most of the games he excavated are now housed in the British Museum in London.
    *The Buddha games list is the earliest known list of games.

    Timeline

    *c. 3500 BC: Jiroft civilization The layout on the holes on the "eagle" is identical to the layout of some twenty-square boards used in ancient Egypt, where the game, known as Aseb, was sometimes put on the other side of case-style Senet boards.
    *c. 3500 BC: Senet found under Predynastic Egyptian burials;"senet1"/> also depicted in the tomb of read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board+game

    Related Ads

    Board Games People & Community

    Connect with people who share your interest by joining one of our Groups:

    Topic Contributors
    Get Free Hobbies, Games & Toys Newsletters

    Copyright © 1999-2009 eHow, Inc. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.   en-US Portions of this page are modifications based on work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.

    Demand Media