Archeologists in Oman have found a 4,000-year-old stone board game at a Bronze and Iron age settlement site near the village of Ayn Bani Sa'idah in the northern Hajar mountains’ Qumayrah Valley.
According to artnet news, University of Warsaw archeologist, Piotr Bielinski who co-led the excavations said: “Such finds are rare, but examples are known from an area stretching from India, through Mesopotamia even to the Eastern Mediterranean.
“The most famous example of a game board based on a similar principle is the one from the graves Ur, an ancient royal cemetery in Iraq.
The ancient game he was referring to was discovered in 1922, which is about 4,500 years old and is a two-player game similar to backgammon. It is now in the collection of the British Museum in London.
The newly discovered large stone board in Oman had grid-like markings seemingly indicating different fields of play, as well as cup holes. Its rules have been lost in time.
The area surrounding the dig is one of the least-studied regions of Oman but finds made by recent studies suggest the Qumayrah Valley was part of a major trade route between several Arab cities.
“This abundance of settlement traces proves that this valley was an important spot in Oman’s prehistory,” he told the Daily Mail.
Plans to continue excavations near Ayn Bani Sa’dah as well as to investigate the other end of the valley, near Bilt.
Well, let’s hope it’s not a magical board game like Jumanji, though that could be fun… right?
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
