In the rolling hills of modern-day Azerbaijan, archaeologists have uncovered a surprising new chapter in the history of one of the world’s oldest board games. For decades, "Hounds and Jackals," also known as "58 Holes," was thought to have originated in ancient Egypt. However, recent findings suggest that this beloved game — a two-player race game akin to modern-day "Ludo" — might have first been played far to the north, among cattle herders in southwestern Asia.
Archaeologists working across several sites on the Abşeron Peninsula and the Gobustan Reserve in Azerbaijan discovered six game boards carved into rock. These artifacts, dating to as early as 2000 BCE, bear a striking resemblance to the familiar layout of "Hounds and Jackals."
A Shared Game Across Continents
Until now, the oldest known example of "Hounds and Jackals" was in the tomb of an Egyptian official who lived around 1975 BCE, during the reign of Pharaoh Mentuhotep II. Carved into rock or chiseled into wood, these boards feature 58 holes in distinct patterns. At the center, two lines of ten holes run parallel, while an arc of 38 holes surrounds them, forming the unique design that players of the game would recognize across millennia. Some of the holes are marked or connected by lines, possibly indicating special spaces or routes.
Similar game boards have since been found at archaeological sites in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Iran, with regional variations in design. In Egypt, for example, the boards often took the shape of an axe blade or shield, while in Mesopotamia, violin-shaped boards were more common. But the newly discovered game boards in Azerbaijan suggest a much wider geographical spread — and an older origin — than previously believed.
“These findings point to an early adoption of the game by seasonally pastoral cattle herders,” write researchers Walter Crist of Leiden University and Rahman Abdullayev of the Minnesota Historical Society. The newly found game boards date to the Middle Bronze Age, around the same time as the oldest Egyptian boards. This suggests that the game was already well-established in southwestern Asia by the early second millennium BCE.
More Than Just Entertainment
Much like today’s popular games of "Snakes and Ladders" and "Ludo," "Hounds and Jackals" was a two-player race game. The players, using pieces shaped like either hounds or jackals, would move them around the board in an attempt to reach the end first. Each player controls five game pieces, which are inserted into the holes on the board. The two players throw dice, sticks, or knucklebones to determine the number of places they can move.
But the seemingly simple game carried deep social significance. Like social glue, board games helped foster connection across different strata of society.
Whether played in royal courts or by cattle herders sheltering in winter caves, "Hounds and Jackals" served as a powerful tool that helped build trust, bridge divides, and navigate the complex web of ancient trade routes. At least 68 archaeological gameboards of "58 Holes" have been found so far. Examples have arisen from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Israel, Turkey, and of course Egypt.
“Games are particularly amenable to building relationships between traders because they help people judge trustworthiness,” note the researchers in their study. In regions where cultures frequently interacted, such as along ancient trade routes, these games likely facilitated interactions across social and economic divides.
“Whatever the origin of the game, it was quickly adopted and played by a wide variety of people, from the nobility of Middle Kingdom Egypt to the cattle herders of the Caucasus, and from the Old Assyrian traders in Anatolia to the workers who built Middle Kingdom pyramids,” Crist and Abdullayev conclude.
Not the Only Ancient Board Game
There are even older board games than "Hounds and Jackals". The earliest board game known to history is likely "Senet", which dates back over 5,000 years ago to ancient Egypt. Boards found in the tombs of pharaohs like Tutankhamun suggest that playing Senet was a means to prepare for the afterlife, where success on the board could determine one's fate in eternity. No pressure, I guess.
Another interesting early board game came from Mesopotamia. "The Royal Game of Ur", first discovered by British archaeologist Leonard Woolley in the 1920s, is an ornate game board carved from precious stones and shells. The game was likely one of strategy and luck, played with dice and small pieces as players navigated their way across the board’s checkered paths. Unfortunately, the rules were lost to time. This game is thought to be at least 4,500 years old. For comparison, chess is just 1,500 years old, originating in India.
The findings appeared in the European Journal of Archaeology.
