Ancient Gambling
Although Mesopotamian societies were probably the first to gamble, the earliest known conclusive records of gambling come from ancient China. Tiles were unearthed that seemed to be connected to a game of chance. Gambling houses were common in China by the first millennium BCE. At this stage, betting on fighting animals was extremely popular. Medieval gambling, the favourite pastime. There’s no doubt that gambling – on all sorts of games – was in the heart of a great many medieval lives. Even if you weren’t playing yourself, most of the people you knew were. Medieval gambling games, like dice, cards, and even board games, were the folly of many. The Ancient Romans and Gambling. There are few other civilisations that saw the longevity of the ancient Romans, and while their culture underwent a multitude of changes, much of what the early Romans enjoyed remained the same for the next 2000 years.
By Alex J. Coyne © 2017 for Gifts For Card Players
While the first slot machine saw the casino floor for the first time in 1894, gambling is by no means a new phenomenon. In fact, we’d guess that gambling has been around about as far as mankind. We wend digging for some more information about the gambling of the ancients…
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptians were well-acquainted with games for money; in fact, they used this hieroglyph to represent game pieces: It is also argued that Senet, played frequently by the ancient Egyptians and still played today, is one of the world’s most ancient board games known to us. (You can play a more modern version of Senet online over here, or you can find the rules for the ancient board game at Masters of Games!) They were also known to play other games including Horse and Jackal – yes, that would have been exactly like going to the tracks.
The cure for a gambling addiction, at least according to the Egyptians, was a sentence of forced labour.
Ancient Greece
Gambling gets a mention in the ancient Greek pantheon, as it was believed that the Gods – Zeus, Poseidon and Hades – cast lots to choose their parts of the universe.
The Greeks were known gamblers: According to accounts by historian and playwright Sophocles, it was the Greeks who gave us the invention of dice. (We have to point out here that Gambling.net notes the discovery of dice earlier in ancient Egypt!) Furthermore, according to Ancient Manners: Also Known as Aphrodite (2011) by Peter Louys, throwing two sixes was known to the Greeks as “the throw of Aphrodite.”
Ancient Gambling Games
But, we dare to ask, who came up with the invention of the sexy dice?
Ancient China
While gambling is officially outlawed in modern-day China, we can say that they have a long and colourful history with bets, gambles and wagers – and might have been one of the earliest civilizations to bet on anything. Games popular for the ancient Chinese include Wei-Qi, Yue Har Hai and Mahjong, of course. Even dominoes have been found in ancient China, going back to approximately 700 B.C.
The base for many card games are also believed to originate from China, where many people believe playing cards themselves originated from.
Gambling Ancient Rome
The Ancient Aztecs
Ancient Gaming Pieces
Yup, even the ancient Aztec-civilizations enjoyed a game or two – in their case, it was a game known as Patolli. The stakes for the game could be set very high, and you could end up betting your entire store or family in the process. You can challenge yourself to an online version of Partolli here thanks to games developers Oca Studios, minus the potential of human sacrifice if you lose, of course…
Ancient Egyptian Gambling
Mr. Bet is one of the top online casino gambling sites providing the latest games including new online slots.You’ll enjoy your time on the website – it’s nicely designed and offers lots of information and an affiliate program. Mr. Bet is owned by Faro Entertainment N.V.