Board games are an exciting experience for people of all ages. They can be played with friends, children, in a noisy company of relatives. Such entertainments unite, make you think, develop thinking, learn to lose ... In a word, the functions of such games can be enumerated to infinity. There are a huge number of board games. All of them are different, in their own way fascinating and extraordinary. But one of the most ancient and entertaining is the “Bones”.
Ancient Greece and the "Bones"
"Dice" is a game that was known even in the ancient Greek period. It was thought that the invention of this occupation belonged to Palamed, who took part in the Trojan War. Another legend says that “Bones” is the creation of the hands of the Lydians (the people who previously inhabited the territories of Asia Minor). An event occurred during the reign of Atis. Then the game was supposed to make people at least for a while distract from thoughts about food. After all, just during this period there was a great famine. Therefore, the players one day enthusiastically played, not thinking about the dishes, and the next day they ate.
In ancient Greece, bones existed in two different forms. Cubes belonged to one type, an exact copy of the existing bones (then they had the name "barrels" and for the game it was necessary three, and a little later - two such objects). The second type of accessories is astragals, cubes with four faces and with recesses for marking. On each side there were one, three, four and six recesses respectively. In order for the game to go, four astragals were needed. Each roll of a bone was called a blow. Among the games, even and odd were popular, hitting an astragalus or a cube in a hole made in a board, and others.
Ancient Roman games in "Bones"
In ancient Rome, the rules of the game "Dice" were practically no different from those that existed in Greece. But in this state it was officially forbidden to engage in such desktop entertainment. It was possible to play only when the feast of Saturnalia came. But, despite the taboo, the game was incredibly popular. She became a passion for Roman emperors and writers. And from the pen of the emperor Claudius came even a guide to the game of dice. But it has not reached our days, but, unfortunately, has been lost for centuries.
It was in Rome in the third century BC that the first law known to mankind prohibiting gambling was approved. It was called Lex aleatoria and vetoed bones precisely as a gamble. Sports, public, gladiatorial entertainment, on the contrary, were permitted by law. In both ancient Rome and ancient Greece, bones took an active part in fortune-telling rites.
Dial a thousand
Today, among the gamblers, the game in Dice 1000 is very common. It is somewhat reminiscent of a thousand cards, but many people prefer the “bone” one. Two or more players can participate in the game. Their number is not limited. Five cubes are also needed, and you can start the fun. The goal of each of the participants is to enter the game and gain a thousand points. But you need to do this faster than other players.
It would seem that everything is simple. But no, there is one important nuance here: points can not be counted on all faces of cubes. Only specific combinations of these faces can turn into certain points.
In one move you need to get 75 or more points. Then the player has the right to enter the game. Therefore, you immediately need to roll all the cubes, but you can only score points by those that have the necessary value. These are, perhaps, the main nuances of the Bones. With other subtleties, players understand already during the event. Dice is a game that only at first glance seems difficult. If you look, then there is nothing excessive.
"Mahjong"
"Mahjong", or the game "Chinese dice", as the name implies, came to us from the Celestial Empire. There are several versions of the appearance of entertainment. According to one of them, "Mahjong" was invented by Confucius - a philosopher from China. According to another theory, the game arose from the thoughts of a Chinese general. He invented it during the Taiping uprising, so that the soldiers would not fall asleep while serving. The first Europeans to meet the Chinese game were the British. After the UK, the Americans found out about it, and already from America, "Mahjong" spread throughout the world.
For this game, the bones were made manually from the calf's bones. In the United States, a special book was created for this matter. And since 1935 there has been a National Mahjong League.
Another game
The game of dice has many varieties. One of these is Bluff. Due to the fact that the game has an element of bluffing, it is very similar to poker, which is played with cards. In order to start playing Bluff, each player must receive five dice. Before discarding them, they must be shaken in a container (a glass is usually used) and turned upside down. Here, one should not rush to demonstrate to other players the resulting combination. You can not show it, but pronounce any other. The combination may be false or true. But the opponent does not suspect about this, and therefore, at his discretion, he can say “Bluff”.
The lead player has lost if he is really exposed by his partner. If the competitor agreed with the lead, then he can roll the dice for the combination in response. Now the lead participant can open their combination. If the new throw is better than the previous one, then the player acting as the leader lost. Two people take part in this game, and the number of throws is negotiated before the start of the “Bluff”.
Types of bones
Dice are of several types. The most popular and traditional of them is a six-sided cube, on the sides of which are shown dot combinations corresponding to numbers from one to six. Always the sum of points from opposite faces will be equal to seven. Perhaps this is also why Bones is a rather interesting and intriguing game.
Another, but not so common type of bone is the product with the symbolism of cards. On their faces are the numbers nine and ten, as well as the ace, king, queen and jack. It is these cards that are used to play poker. There are also dice for the special game “Crown and Anchor”. A crown, an anchor and card suits are put on their verge .
First bones
Dice is the oldest game item. Their original purpose was limited to fortune telling and casting lots, and only later, to the game. The forerunners of these objects were grandmothers who were discovered in the graves of primitive people. Grandmas were bones from the limbs of animals; they were marked on four sides by special signs. The most ancient bones date back to the third millennium BC. They were found in one of the royal tombs of the Sumerian city of Ur. They were made from lapis lazuli or from the bone of an elephant. They were made in the form of a pyramid of four faces. On each bone there are two angles, and they also had special decorations.
And in conclusion
Dice is a great, ancient, intriguing game. She was banned many times, considered the lot of tramps and scammers, but she was able to win her place of honor in the world of gambling, proving that she was capable of more than just occupation for a pleasant pastime. And although modern entertainment is very different from ancient, it is still as popular among all peoples as in the most distant times.