Greece is not doing well, a fact that everyone knows by now. The country is nearly bankrupt. There is something that no one can take away from the Greeks though: their impressive Ancient History. Board games are a part of this.
Board games have been around for centuries, in the most civilized societies as well as the simpler ones. The sole presence of board games therefore is not a good indicator of the degree of development of a culture. One thing that is for sure is that board games had already gained popularity in the early Ancient times.
Game board Knossos (1600 BC)
Over a hundred years ago, British archaeologist Arthur John Evans discovered the palace of the legendary king Minos on the island of Crete. No one knows for sure whether this king really existed, or whether he is a combination of various kings or a mythical character. Whichever way, stories about Minos have taken on mythical proportions. Legend has it that a woman who had had an affair with a bull gave birth to the Minotaur: half man, half bull. Minos constructed a labyrinth for the monster and had him protect his many treasures.
Board game of gold and gems
The 4000-year-old palace was excavated in the city of Knossos and stems from the Minoan period (3500-1375 BC). Evans named this age after king Minos. Even before the excavations, the Minoan period was known for its riches and high-quality artifacts. All the precious stones and gold that have been dug up on the island prove that its residents were wealthy people.
One of the most important findings from the palace was a game board tessellated with gold, silver, ivory and rock crystal. This was obviously a luxury game board, made for kings. The game that used to be played in Crete is similar to chess, but it is not known how it was played exactly. It is clear that the two opponents had to try and conquer each other’s rook, but amongst the excavated remains at Knossos no information on the rules of the game could be found. In the end, Minoan civilization would cease to exist because of overpopulation and natural disasters. After the volcanic eruption on Santorini (around 1630 BC) Crete suffered from extremely heavy earthquakes, ash falls and even a tsunami.
Greek soldiers are playing a board game
Chess, old Greece style?
The later Greeks had their own version of the board game, called Petteia. In old Greek, this literally means board and game. The players would play with two differently colored stones on a square board and try and obtain the other player’s stones. The game was immensely popular amongst soldiers. The story goes that the warriors Ajax and Achilles were so obsessed with the game during the Trojan War (13th century BC) that the goddess Athena had to warn them about a Trojan attack.
The Petteia game was exported around 330 BC by the armies of Alexander the Great from Greece to Persia, Asia Minor and India. The oldest and most recognizable form of the chess game as we know it stems from 6th century North India. Some scientists are convinced that this game, called Chaturanga, was inspired by the Greek game of Petteia.
Minoan chess
Whichever way we look at it, the Ancient Greek stood at the cradle of modern day civilization. European art and architecture have been inspired for centuries by forms and stories from Ancient times. At the Chessmen Museum a number of chess sets with an ancient theme can be found, such as the chess game made up of characters from the sea. None other than Poseidon, lord of the seas, could be the king of the game. King Minos has also left his footprints, in the bronze colored chess set from Crete. This set is inspired by the art typical of his reign.
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