| Ask most people about leisure activity in the | | | | The spread of the backgammon game around |
| Ancient World and they will probably mention the | | | | the world continued after the collapse of the |
| sport of hunting, Greek athletics, or the cruel | | | | Roman Empire, however it was not until the |
| contests staged between Roman gladiators and | | | | 1740's that the backgammon rules were first |
| wild animals. It will therefore come as a surprise | | | | published. The introduction of commercially |
| to many that one of today's most popular games | | | | produced backgammon sets at a price that most |
| - backgammon - actually has a history going back | | | | people could easily afford, also played a role in |
| some five thousand years. Nobody knows for | | | | making the game available to people all around the |
| such who was the first person to invent the | | | | world. |
| backgammon game but scholars believe it was | | | | The developments in the first five thousand years |
| devised or developed in the area today occupied | | | | of backgammon gave no inkling of that at the |
| by Iran and Iraq. | | | | end of the twentieth century, backgammon stood |
| Since written descriptions of how to play | | | | on the verge of a major revolution. The |
| backgammon had not yet been discovered, it is | | | | introduction of online backgammon has initiated a |
| hard to know for sure that the backgammon | | | | major explosion in interest in the game, and |
| rules of ancient Persia were similar to the ones | | | | brought it to a whole new, predominantly young |
| we are familiar with today. The fact that the | | | | audience. The ability to download Internet |
| design of the backgammon board with the | | | | backgammon as free backgammon has meant |
| twenty four narrow divisions known as points, | | | | there is no longer any need to even buy a |
| and the fifteen round counters, and the dice | | | | backgammon set but you can have a high quality |
| whose throws determine the counter | | | | 3-D backgammon game setup on your own |
| movements, were all part of the ancient game, | | | | computer. Although the long-lasting appeal of |
| does suggest it had a great deal in common with | | | | backgammon gambling has given a major push to |
| the contemporary version. | | | | the popularity of the backgammon online games, |
| Backgammon was popularized further by the | | | | the chance to play against a sophisticated |
| Romans and became a favorite game of the | | | | backgammon computer and play against players |
| Emperor Claudius, and the fate of the opponent | | | | from all around the world, are also key |
| foolish enough to let Claudius lose can only be | | | | attractions. In addition the online game allows |
| imagined. The Roman version of backgammon, | | | | players to play at a time that suits them, and |
| known as tabula (from the Latin for table) was | | | | from the comfort of their own home. All the |
| played exclusively for money, what we would | | | | information required to learn the rules of the |
| today term backgammon gambling. The thought | | | | game and understand backgammon strategy is |
| of going to play backgammon for the fun alone | | | | now available online - players have never had it |
| does not seem to have been part of that cultural | | | | easier. |
| milieu. | | | | |