Royal Game of Ur Explained

The Royal Game of Ur is one of the oldest board games.

The game was first found in the Royal Cemetery at Ur, Iraq.

The Royal Game of Ur is a two-player race board game.

The game uses two sets of seven pieces, black and white.

Players roll four-sided dice marked on two corners each.

Landing on rosette squares gives an extra roll during play.

Pieces on rosettes are safe from capture by opponents.

The central eight squares allow players to capture opponent pieces.

Players must roll the exact number to remove pieces from board.

The game combined luck and strategy like modern backgammon.

Players believed the game predicted their futures and fortunes.

Sir Leonard Woolley found five Game of Ur boards by 1934.

The Royal Game of Ur was played by many social classes.