Jiroft

Discovered in January of 2001 in Jiroft, Kerman province, Iran - this is believed to be one of the oldest board games known to man. Being a relatively recent discovery, very little is still known about this game and the most that can be done now is speculate. As archeologist Jean Perrot noted in the Persian Journal article, the lay-out of the "holes" on the "eagle" game boards is highly suggestive of the twenty squares game boards excavated by Woolley in Sumer, the so-called "Royal Game of Ur." The lay-out of the "holes" on the "eagle" boards is also identical to the lay-out of some twenty squares boards used in ancient Egypt, where the game, known as "Aseb," was sometimes put on the other side of case-style Senet boards.