Ancient lost game of 1,500 years in China

Chinese archaeologists discovered the rest of a mysterious game, which disappeared 1,500 years ago, at a 2,300-year-old tomb in Shandong Province.

Found China's 1,500-year-old lost game

At the tomb of archaeologists found a 14-sided dice made from animal teeth , small rectangular pieces painted with numbers and broken bricks were part of a chessboard. After being restored, the scientists found that the tiles were "decorated with two eyes, surrounded by clouds and lightning bolts" , the study was published in the Journal of Chinese Cultural Monuments for good.

14-sided dice made from animal teeth are numbered from 1 to 6 on 12 faces, with two sides blank.(Photo: Livescience).

In addition, the inside of the tomb also has a skeleton, most likely belonging to a thief, located in the tunnel leading to the grave of the former thieves.

Lost games

According to Livescience, the 12 sides of the dice are numbered from 1 to 6 in Seal, a seal script, each number appears twice, the remaining two faces are left blank.

The site is found to be part of the "bo" game , or "liubo" . Researchers have not yet determined how ancient games are conducted, because the game has been lost since 1,500 years ago and its rules have changed over time.

The painted rectangular pieces (above) and the rebuilt bricks are surrounded by cloudy and lightning-like eyes of the ancient game.(Photo: Livescience).

However, the poem written by the man named Song Yu 2,200 years ago left some clues about the game as follows:

"After that, with bamboo dice and ivory pieces; Liu Bo's game starts; each person chooses one side; they turn the dice one by one; the parties are excited to step on each other; the score doubled again, the shout of "white year" rang out! "

Great tomb

The remainder of the ancient game is found at a supreme mausoleum. Inside there were two big slopes leading to the stairs to the burial room. Next to the grave, scientists discovered five pits containing items for the dead in the afterlife. In ancient times, graves, about 100 meters deep, often had a high mound covered above, but this mound was destroyed.

"Great tombs are mostly clean by thieves , " archaeologists wrote. "The coffin of the coffin has almost been loosened and looted, leaving much damage."

The tomb of 2,300 years old has a large area belonging to a noble country of Qi.(Photo: Livescience).

Archaeologists also found 26 tunnels leading to the tomb by peach poachers. One of these tunnels contained a corpse with a cramped posture, possibly a grave robber. Time, cause of death, age and gender of this remains have not been clearly verified.

With the evidence found, archaeologists believe that the tomb is a burial place for a noble of Qi . At the time of the mausoleum was built, China was not united. During the third century BC, the Qin Dynasty of the brutal monarch Qin Shi Huang gradually conquered other countries in China, including Qi.

The nation existed until 221 BC, until it was conquered by Qin Shihuang. After successfully reuniting China and becoming the first king of this dynasty, Qin Shihuang immediately embarked on the construction of his own monumental tomb, guarded by a powerful terracotta army. post.

The 2,300-year-old ancient tomb relic in Qingzhou city was excavated in 2004 by archaeologists from the Qingzhou City Museum in collaboration with the Shandong Province Institute of Cultural and Archaeological Heritage. The discovery was first published in China in 2014 on Wenwu Journal. Recently, the article was translated into English and published in the Chinese Cultural Heritage Journal.