New Origins Found for Ancient Board Game

The game of 58 Holes, or Hounds and Jackals, known for its captivating simplicity and rich history, has long been considered one of the world’s oldest board games. Traditionally, scholars believed it originated in ancient Egypt during the second millennium BC. However, recent archaeological discoveries have challenged this assumption, suggesting that the game may have actually emerged in southwestern Asia before it gained popularity in Egypt. This new perspective not only reshapes our understanding of the game’s origins but also highlights the complex interactions and cultural exchanges that occurred in the ancient world.

The Classic Game of 58 Holes

58 Holes—sometimes referred to as “hounds and jackals” due to some gaming pieces bearing the likenesses of these animals—is a game that dates back thousands of years. The game consists of a board with 58 holes arranged in two parallel lines of 10 holes in the center, surrounded by an arc of 38 additional holes. Players each have five pegs and take turns moving them along the board based on the roll of a die or the throwing of sticks, with the goal of advancing their pegs from the starting point to the endpoint.

The game was played across a vast region, with examples of boards found in Egypt, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Iran, and Anatolia, explain the study authors. While the oldest known board was discovered in Egypt, other examples have surfaced in different parts of the ancient world, suggesting that the game was widely played and may have had multiple centers of origin.

Game of fifty-eight holes board from Tomb 312 at el-Asasif, Egypt. Eleventh Dynasty (Metropolitan Museum of Art, no. 26.3.154, Rogers Fund, 1926). (CC0/European Journal of Archaeology)

New Evidence from Southwestern Asia

The recent research conducted by archaeologists Walter Crist and Rahman Abdullayev has provided compelling evidence that 58 Holes may have originated in southwestern Asia, rather than Egypt. Their study, published in the European Journal of Archaeology, highlights discoveries from Azerbaijan, where game boards dating back to the late third to early second millennium BC have been found. This predates the appearance of the game in Egypt, suggesting that the game was played in southwestern Asia long before it became popular along the Nile.

One of the most significant finds comes from Gobustan National Reserve near the Caspian Sea, where a game board was accidentally discovered in 2015. The pattern of holes “pecked” into stone closely resembles other 58 Holes boards found in southwestern Asia and Egypt. Additional boards have been found at sites like Ağdaşdüzü, Yeni Türkan, and Dübəndi, further supporting the idea that the game was widespread in this region during the Bronze Age.

The fifty-eight holes board from Çapmalı, Gobustan National Reserve. (Crist, W. et al./European Journal of Archaeology)

Rethinking the Origins of 58 Holes

The discovery of these game boards in southwestern Asia challenges the long-held belief that Egypt was the birthplace of 58 Holes. Crist and Abdullayev argue that the diversity of boards found in southwestern Asia, along with their early appearance and prolonged use, makes a strong case for the game’s origin in this region. They suggest that the game likely spread through trade routes, rather than as a result of conquest, which allowed it to reach various cultures across a wide geographic area.

Despite the compelling evidence, the researchers caution against attributing the invention of the game to any single culture, notes IFL Science. The widespread popularity of 58 Holes across different regions and social classes—from Egyptian nobility to Caucasian herders—suggests that the game was quickly adopted by various groups who adapted it to their own cultural contexts.

Play the Dogs and Jackals Game from Ancient Origins, based on the Egyptian game rules.

The Role of Games in Ancient Societies

The spread of 58 Holes across the ancient world underscores the importance of games as social tools that facilitate interaction and communication between different cultures. Crist and Abdullayev note that games like 58 Holes served as “social lubricants,” helping to build relationships and establish trust between traders and other individuals who participated in the complex web of ancient trade networks.

The ephemeral nature of these game boards, often carved into stone or wood, means that many examples may have been lost to history. However, the discovery of these boards in the Caucasus and other regions suggests that more examples may yet be uncovered, offering further insights into the origins and spread of 58 Holes. Such findings could shed light on the cultural dynamics of the ancient world and the role of games in shaping human interactions across different societies.

Top image: Left; An example of an ornate fifty-eight holes board from the second millennium found in Thebes.  Right; The fifty-eight holes board from Çapmalı.             Source: Left; Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0 Right; Crist, W. et al./European Journal of Archaeology

By Gary Manners