The Shahr-i Sokhta Board Game © ™
A Game That World Must Know About
Under The Game Intelligence publication rights
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The Discovery
So far, more than 100 of these types of ancient intellectual games have been discovered in the Middle East with different patterns, shapes and materials such as wood, clay and stone. In the ancient times, intellectual games of twenty houses were of interest to everyone and they played this game in every culture and it was not specific to one culture. In the ancient cemetery of Shahr-i Sokhta in Sistan, a remarkable discovery was made within grave number 731, an ancient game that represents the oldest complete collection of its kind found to date. While it's important to note that this isn't the world's first or oldest board game, it stands as the oldest complete board game ever discovered, dating back approximately 4,600 to 4,700 years. What sets the Shahr-i Sokhta game apart is being the earliest known example of a 20-square game with a complete set. This makes it an invaluable resource in understanding the history and evolution of board games and it has the potential to reshape the history of board games. This is the only board game in history before chess where each piece has its own meaning. For the first time, the game board was reconstructed and introduced with ancient rules that more likely they have been played during that era. The scientific paper was written by Sam Jelveh from the University of Essex, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering and Dr. Hossein Moradi, Supervisor of residential area excavation at Shahr i Sokhta.
Video by Mohammad Reza Rokni (Artist)
Scientific Paper & AI
The method used in the scientific paper will be utilized by The Game Intelligence , a Cambridge-based company, to help AI understand ancient board games in general.
Exhibition
Exhibition - When Myth Becomes History (In Italy)
The Game of 20 (Il Gioco dei 20)
The latest research from the UNESCO Bronze Age site is featured in a premier Italian photographic exhibition. The exhibition was open to the public from July 13 to 28, 2024, at the Monastery of the Olivetani in Lecce, titled "Shahr-i Sokhta: When Myth Becomes History." With 141 photos, explanatory panels, and a detailed reconstruction of the latest scientific evidence, the exhibition retraces, in an Italian premiere, the stages of the studies conducted on the UNESCO site. The Game of 20 was also one of the 141 scientific research panels displayed. Panel number 42 briefly describes the type of game, the meaning of each piece, and the ancient rules.
Workshop In Cambridge, London and Tehran
Waterstones - Cambridge 2023
For the first time, the ancient game of the Shahr-i Sokhta was introduced and played in the famous library in the city of Cambridge.
Bergamot Cafe - London 2023
Introduced and played exclusively in London 2023.
National Museum of Iran - Terhan 2024
Introduced and played for 14 days
Naroon - London 2024
Introduced and played exclusively in London 2024.
Official Ceremony
On November 6th, 2023, an official ceremony was held at the National Museum of Iran to unveil the Shahr-i Sokhta game. In that ceremony, the decoding and reconstruction of the ancient game of Shahr-i Sokhta was discussed.
Setup the game pieces
View the gameplay summary
Full video is coming soon!
Production
The physical copy available to order worldwide with the best quality, meeting museum standards.
Please note that we are selling hand-made life-size game sets with ancient rules derived from recent
scientific research. When you purchase it, Please look for the TGi ( The Game intelligence) Approval card inside the box,
which indicates that the entire set, including the rules, is authentic and scientific.
Digital Game
The Game of 20 Origin:
The Shahr-i Sokhta board game is a strategic race game. The goal is to navigate all your pieces around and off the board before your opponent. You can also capture your opponent's pieces by landing on them. At the moment, you can only play against the computer.
The game helps you understand and guide the ancient rules and how the game might have been played 4700 years ago.
It’s the oldest version, possibly the origin, of the game of twenty, with all complete sets, and each player has 12 pieces to race and fight in 12 spaces. The best way to understand the rules is to play them yourself.
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Facts
- The game is complete, comprising 27 pieces not 60 or 25. These pieces do not belong to any other board game. Interestingly, another board game was also discovered near Shahr-i Sokhta, sharing similarities in its pieces.
- There is no evidence of any paint on the board. The pieces do not display a wide or bizarre variety of shapes but are instead distinguished by geometric forms that were recently analyzed. Some pieces even appear on local pottery, unlike those found in Ur.
- The ancient rules proposed for the Shahr-i Sokhta game are very similar to those of the Royal Game of Ur but slightly more strategic due to the unique pieces. It is possible that the Royal Game of Ur is a simplified version of the Game of 20.
- This game is a two-player racing game with an average duration of 30–45 minutes.
- This is the only board game in history before chess where each piece has its own meaning. It is considered to be the ancestor of chess and backgammon.
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References
*PW - Persian Wonders (based on our conclusion and study)- 1. Majidzadeh, Yousef. "The Land of Aratta." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 35, no. 2 (1976): 105-13. Accessed August 10, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/545195.
- 2. The British Museum. 2020. collection. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1936-1217-2. [Accessed 10 August 2020].
- 3. Madjidzadeh, Youssef & Pittman, Holly. (2008). Excavations at Konar Sandal in the region of Jiroft in the Halil basin: First preliminary report (2002-2008). Iran. 46. 69-103. 10.2307/25651436.
- 4. Geoffrey,B. Olivier,J. Youssef,M. ARTE France.; Gedeon Programmes. Special Broadcasting Service Corporation. SBS-TV. (2005). Unearthing the lost kingdom of Aratta. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.terranoa.com/product/product.php?code=125
- 5. Majidzadeh, Yousef. "The Land of Aratta." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 35, no. 2 (1976): 105-13. Accessed August 10, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/545195.
- 6. Francfort H.-P., Tremblay X. Marhaši et la civilisation de l'Oxus // Iranica Antiqua, vol. XLV (2010), pp. 51–224. doi: 10.2143/IA.45.0.2047119.
- 7. Madjidzadeh, Youssef & Pittman, Holly. (2008). Excavations at Konar Sandal in the region of Jiroft in the Halil basin: First preliminary report (2002-2008). Iran. 46. 69-103. 10.2307/25651436.
- 8. Desset, Francois. (2014). A new writing system discovered in 3rd millennium bce iran: The konar sandal 'geometric' tablets. Iranica Antiqua. 49. 83-109. 10.2143/IA.49.0.3009239.
- 9. Geoffrey,B. Olivier,J. Youssef,M. ARTE France.; Gedeon Programmes. Special Broadcasting Service Corporation. SBS-TV. (2005). Unearthing the lost kingdom of Aratta. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.terranoa.com/product/product.php?code=125
- 10. Geoffrey,B. Olivier,J. Youssef,M. ARTE France.; Gedeon Programmes. Special Broadcasting Service Corporation. SBS-TV. (2005). Unearthing the lost kingdom of Aratta. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.terranoa.com/product/product.php?code=125
- 11. Curtis, J. Finkel,I (Ed.). (2013). The Cyrus Cylinder: The Great Persian Edict from Babylon.
- 12. Curtis, J. (2013). The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia: A New Beginning for the Middle East.
- 13. Farzin, R. (2007). Iran: Seven Faces of Civilization.