Royal Game of Ur: Ancient Mesopotamian Board Game in Faux Leather Pouch

The Royal Game of Ur is a two-player strategy race board game that was first played in ancient Mesopotamia during the early third millennium BC. The game was popular at locations like Mesopotamia, Crete and Sri Lanka. The game is dated to c. 2600 – c. 2400 B.C., making it one of the oldest games in the world.

The Game of Ur received its name because it was first rediscovered during excavations of the Royal Cemetery at Ur between 1922 and 1934. A partial description of the rules of the Game of Ur as played in the second century B.C. has been preserved on a Babylonian clay tablet.

When the Game of Ur was first discovered, no one knew how it was played. Then, in the early 1980s, Irving Finkel, a curator at the British Museum, translated the clay tablet written c. 177 B.C. describing how the game was played during that time period.

It had been discovered in 1880 in the ruins of Babylon and sold to the British Museum. Finkel also used photographs of another tablet describing the rules.

This second tablet was undated, but is believed by archaeologists to have been written several centuries earlier and to have originated from the city of Uruk. The backs of both tablets show diagrams of the gameboard, clearly indicating which game they are describing. Based on these rules and the shape of the gameboard, Finkel was able to reconstruct how the game was played.

It is one of the best intellectual games for kids and adults. Easy to learn! A great present for any occasion.

The board games we make are engraved onto faux leather and reinforced with stainless steel eyelets. Easy to transport, pull the cord and the game is packed and ready to go! You may take our games to go while traveling or visiting. When packed, our games don't take up much space, so you may take your board game collection with you easily!

What you get, is the full game, with the 4 dice, 14 glass beads (+2 for replacement) and english rules.

The game is multifunctional, it can also be used as a dice tray and dice pouch to accompany you during your RPG sessions.

WARNING: Not suitable for children under 3 years of age. Contains small parts which may create a choking hazard, therefore adult supervision is required.

The leather pouch has a diameter of 22.5 cm / 8.86 inches when fully spread out.