Researchers finally uncover how to play the 4,000-year-old Shahr-i Sokhta board game

In 1977, archaeologists excavating the Bronze Age cemetery of Shahr-i Sokhta in southeastern Iran unearthed an extraordinary relic: a 4,500-year-old board game buried in a richly adorned grave. This game, consisting of a board with 20 circular spaces formed by a carved snake design, 27 geometric pieces, and four dice, has captured the imagination of researchers for decades. Now, modern tools and cross-disciplinary analysis are shedding light on how this ancient pastime might have been played.

Researchers finally uncover how to play the 4,000-year-old Shahr-i Sokhta board gameThe Shahr-i Sokhta board game. Credit: Mohammad Reza Rokni / Jelveh, S. Moradi, H., The British Insтιтute of Persian Studies

Shahr-i Sokhta, meaning “Burnt City,” is a significant archaeological site in southeastern Iran, dating back to the Bronze Age (3rd millennium BCE). Located near the Helmand River in the Sistan-Baluchestan province, it was a flourishing urban center of the Helmand culture, known for its advanced craftsmanship, trade networks, and early urban planning.

Excavations have revealed remarkable finds, including an artificial eye and intricate jewelry. Grave No. 731 yielded the complete board game, one of the oldest ever discovered, dating back to approximately 2600–2400 BCE. This treasure stands alongside other iconic ancient games such as Senet from Egypt and the Roman Ludus Latrunculorum.

Unlike the Royal Game of Ur from Mesopotamia—whose rules were deciphered from a cuneiform tablet in the British Museum—no written instructions for the Shahr-i Sokhta game have survived. Researchers thus turned to a combination of archaeological evidence, historical comparisons, and modern computational tools to reconstruct plausible gameplay.

Researchers finally uncover how to play the 4,000-year-old Shahr-i Sokhta board gameGrave No. 73, where the board game was discovered (drawings after Piperno and Salvatori 1983). Credit: Jelveh, S. Moradi, H., The British Insтιтute of Persian Studies

The Shahr-i Sokhta board game appears to be a strategic racing game akin to the Royal Game of Ur, though with added complexity. According to researchers, the game’s objective is to move all 10 of a player’s pieces off the board before the opponent does, using a combination of dice rolls and strategic placement of “blocker” and “runner” pieces.

“The core gameplay revolves around racing, with blocker pieces introducing additional strategy without overshadowing the runners,” explained the research team in their study, soon to be published in the Journal of the British Insтιтute of Persian Studies. Players use dice to advance their pieces, and special rules allow strategic movements for the blockers, which can hinder the opponent’s progress.

Researchers finally uncover how to play the 4,000-year-old Shahr-i Sokhta board gameRoyal Game of Ur from Early Dynastic III 2600 BCE. Credit: Mary Harrsch/Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The researchers hypothesize that the game’s additional pieces, including “star” pieces resembling rosettes found in the Ur game, added layers of complexity. Unlike Ur, the Shahr-i Sokhta game emphasizes a balance between strategy and chance, making it less repeтιтive and more engaging for players. The game was tested by 50 experienced players, who evaluated its gameplay and compared it to the Royal Game of Ur.

Modern AI techniques are further aiding the understanding of ancient games. By simulating thousands of potential rulesets, AI algorithms help determine which rules result in enjoyable gameplay. The Shahr-i Sokhta game has also benefited from computational modeling, which confirms its superiority in strategic depth compared to the simpler Royal Game of Ur.

The discovery and analysis of the Shahr-i Sokhta game deepen our understanding of how board games evolved in the ancient world. Unlike the Ur game, which was ᴀssociated with Mesopotamian royalty, the Shahr-i Sokhta game was found in a wealthy but non-royal grave, suggesting it was more accessible and widespread in eastern regions.

More information: Analysis of the Shahr i Sokhta Board Game with 27 Pieces and Suggested Rules Based on the Game of Ur

Related Posts

Ancient Greco-Roman sculptures were scented, study reveals

Ancient Greco-Roman sculptures were scented, study reveals

Scholars have known for centuries that the ancient Greek and Roman statues, far from being the immaculate white marble figures put on view in museums today, were…

2,000-year-old large wooden houses uncovered in Zhejiang, revealing secrets of the Yue Kingdom

2,000-year-old large wooden houses uncovered in Zhejiang, revealing secrets of the Yue Kingdom

Archaeologists in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, have unearthed a well-preserved ancient settlement dating back 2,500 years, belonging to the Yue State of the early Warring States period (475-221…

Mikveh ritual bath discovered in Ostia Antica, Italy

Mikveh ritual bath discovered in Ostia Antica, Italy

Archaeologists in Ostia Antica, the ancient port city near Rome, have made an amazing discovery—a Mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, from the late 4th or early 5th…

First burials: evidence of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens sharing culture 110,000 years ago

First burials: evidence of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens sharing culture 110,000 years ago

A recent discovery in Tinshemet Cave, central Israel, is changing the way we look at early human interactions. Archaeologists have found human burials from the Middle Paleolithic…

Teeth from burial pit in Mongolia trace Han soldiers in the Xiongnu war

Teeth from burial pit in Mongolia trace Han soldiers in the Xiongnu war

New information on a mᴀss burial found at the Bayanbulag site in Mongolia, which is thought to hold the remains of Han warriors who participated in the…

Mystery of the Arnish Moor Man: Belongings of 18th-Century Suspected Murder Victim on Display

Mystery of the Arnish Moor Man: Belongings of 18th-Century Suspected Murder Victim on Display

A new exhibition showing the personal items of a mystery 18th-century man, known as the Arnish Moor Man, has opened at the Kinloch Historical Society on the…