Gaming Key
Ancient Gambling: Know Your History
Nowadays, gambling is one of the most popular recreations among many people. As testament to the fact, online gambling and real casinos are spreading fast just to meet the gambling needs of its patrons. Today, modernization and technology has helped shape the face of gambling. But few people know that gambling actually goes all the way back to the history of our civilization.
Artifacts found in China, Egypt, India, Greece and Rome show that our early ancestors were quite fond of gambling.
Blackjack and poker were said to have their origins in the paper money of China which people shuffled. The money eventually turned to playing cards, somewhat similar to the cards we know today. The practice was then brought to Europe. In Italy, Spain and France, it was decided that the cards would be designed by images of powerful members of the Royal Court. This resulted to the modern playing cards of today.
The origin of the popular game Go also has its roots in China. Back in the third millenium B.C., it was then called Wei-qi. The game was so popular that it soon reached Korea, where its name changed to Paduk. When it was brought to Japan, it was then caled I-Go. It was not long before the game became popular with the Italian, German and English.
Meanwhile, ancient boards were discovered in the ancient tombs and graves of the Egyptian. These boards were used to play the ancient game of Senet. The game was said to have been played with pawns, sticks and tree branches. It might have also been the origin of the modern backgammon.
Another origin of the backgammon was also found in ancient Rome. The game Tabula was said to have been a popular game in the third century B.C. Roman army soldiers played the game during their breaks. The popularity of the game was so much that gambling was declared illegal. The game also reached the Middle East during the Roman Expansion.
Ancient game boards were also discovered in the Middle East after World War I. Sir Leonard Wooly was digging northwest of Basra, Iraq when he came upon four boards in an ancient cemetery. The cemetery was located within the historical city of Mesopotamia.
The popular game craps actually came from the word "crabs" which means "pair of ones". But long before this game, the dice was being played in early civilization. The knucklebone is the known origin of the modern dice. In Florida for example, a knucklebone of an ancient llama was discovered. In addition to bone, some dice were also made of ivory.
Ever wonder why so many people are fond of gambling? It looks like even before Vegas was born, our early ancestors were already testing their skills and luck with different games. And we, as their predecessors, are simply carrying out the tradition.