MANCALA
The game known as Mancala is a type of race game that involves placing stones or beans in a set of hollows that are often arranged in a 4x12 grid, although many variations exist ranging from 2x8 to 4x26. So many variations on this game exist that it could actually be considered a class of game. Mancala was played without dice and might have been a precursor to Senet, making it possibly the oldest board game of all. Boards have been found in Egypt, Jordan, and all across Africa. Many variations are played throughout the modern world under names such as Wari (West Africa), Adi (Nigeria), Omweso (Uganda), Bao (East Africa), Olinda Kaliya (Sri Lanka), and Count & Capture (England). Boards similar to Mancala boards have been unearthed in Nabatea, including the city of Petra, but attempts to link the Nabatean game with Mancala have been unsuccessful. Below are shown some examples of mancala boards from the Milwaukee Public Museum.
For more on the Mancala class of games, see some of the excellent websites below.
www.cmi.k12.il.us/Urbana/projects/AncientCiv/africa/Mancala.html www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Mancala.htm/life/activity/act_main.html www.centralconnector.com/GAMES/mancala.html
