# Strategy games played in ancient times **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategy-games-played-in-ancient-times/601582 "2011-11-02T02:45:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategy-games-played-in-ancient-times/601582/1 "2011-11-02T02:45:17Z")
So, I know a small bit about the history of chess, and of go, but I’d like to know as many details about as many other strategy games which have existed since before, let’s arbitrarily say… 1200AD, as I can. Also counts for games which no longer exist, but did before then. They don’t need to be board games, or even really need to be played sitting down, I’m more looking for games that pit(ed) one person’s problem-solving, planning, etc skills against another’s, or one team’s strategic skills against another’s. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategy-games-played-in-ancient-times/601582/2 "2011-11-02T02:49:17Z")
[Xiangqi or “Chinese Chess”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiangqi) ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategy-games-played-in-ancient-times/601582/3 "2011-11-02T02:56:37Z")
[Ludus latrunculorum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludus_latrunculorum) [Nine Men’s Morris](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Men%27s_Morris) (and variants with different numbers of ‘men’). [Weiqi (AKA Go)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_%28game%29) Also, a lot of traditional games, with their rules, are listed [here](http://www.mastersgames.com/rules/rules.htm). ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategy-games-played-in-ancient-times/601582/4 "2011-11-02T03:14:15Z")
A search of boardgamegeeks claims all the following were known before 1200: > **[BoardGameGeek | Gaming Unplugged Since 2000](https://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&advsearch=1&objecttype=boardgame&q=&include%5Bdesignerid%5D=&geekitemname=&include%5Bpublisherid%5D=&geekitemname=&range%5Byearpublished%5D%5Bmin%5D=0&range%5Byearpublished%5D%5Bmax%5D=1200&range%5Bminage%5D%5Bmax%5D=&floatrange%5Bavgrating%5D%5Bmin%5D=&floatrange%5Bavgrating%5D%5Bmax%5D=&range%5Bnumvoters%5D%5Bmin%5D=&floatrange%5Bavgweight%5D%5Bmin%5D=&floatrange%5Bavgweight%5D%5Bmax%5D=&range%5Bnumweights%5D%5Bmin%5D=&searchuser=&range%5Bminplayers%5D%5Bmax%5D=&range%5Bmaxplayers%5D%5Bmin%5D=&playerrangetype=normal&range%5Bplayingtime%5D%5Bmax%5D=&B1=Submit)** ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategy-games-played-in-ancient-times/601582/5 "2011-11-02T09:14:59Z")
I’ve found [The Oxford History of Board Games](http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-History-Board-Games-Parlett/dp/0192129988/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320225170&sr=8-1) to be a good reference. What specifically are you trying to find out? ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategy-games-played-in-ancient-times/601582/6 "2011-11-02T10:23:57Z")
Evidence of [Mancala](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mancala) type games have been dated back to the 7th century AD. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategy-games-played-in-ancient-times/601582/7 "2011-11-02T15:14:15Z")
Anyone know about the origins of “war games” sports like Capture the Flag or Tag? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategy-games-played-in-ancient-times/601582/8 "2011-11-02T16:30:56Z")
I’m not sure about anything quite so organized as Capture the Flag, but I’m sure that Tag predates humanity, given that many nonhuman animals play it too. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategy-games-played-in-ancient-times/601582/9 "2011-11-02T17:06:25Z")
[The Tafl games](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tafl_games), several based upon an ancient Norse game. Some, like Hnefatafl, can be played today, but the rules are mostly a conjecture as that part has been lost.