History Of Backgammon

The history of backgammon is a very intriguing one that started over 5000 years ago.
Today it has become one of the more popular games enjoyed by everyone around the
world, although in ancient times it was a game that was only enjoyed by royalty. Even
today archaeologists are still finding artifacts of this wonderful game that comes with the
prestige of being one of the oldest recorded games in the world.

The actual name for backgammon is thought to come from a Welsh term meaning "wee"
battle. However, the history of backgammon offers many different names and versions of
this game. A part of backgammon history is that the Romans changed the number of the
dice from two to three and called it "bac gamen" or back game. From Rome, this game
moved to Persia, where once again it was played with two dice in a game that was called
"Takhteh Nard" or "battle on wood". During the time of the Crusades, the Anglo Saxon
soldiers and traders played another version of backgammon called "Tables" or "Tabula".

The church had somewhat of a role in backgammon. This was not due to playing the
game, but by trying to ban it. This never succeeded, but it was not for the lack of trying
on the church's part. There was a Cardinal in the 16th century that ordered all boards to be
burned calling the game the Devil's folly, but burning the boards was useless since any
type of board could be drawn in the dirt or the sand and played with small pebbles. At
that time, dice were easily made and always small enough that they could be hidden very
easily. The English became very crafty in the disguise of the boards and folded it like a
book, which we still see in the backgammon boards that we use today.