During archaeological research at the castle in Cmielów in Poland’s Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, a board game engraved on a sandstone slab was found. It dates back to the 16th century.
Arkeonews writes that the sandstone slab, which is approximately 32 centimeters long and 6 to 12 centimeters thick, was used as a board game area.
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The origins of this mysterious entertainment remain a mystery. Tomasz Olszatsky, the archaeologist who discovered the artifact, suggests that it may have been built by builders who sought entertainment in the form of gambling in their spare time. Or later it could have been the work of children or servants.
This ancient pastime is reminiscent of the strategy board game known as The Mill. It was popular in both medieval Europe and Kievan Rus’. It was also known as “Nine Dancing Men”.
Examples of such game boards are primarily documented in medieval England, but have also been found in castles and Crusader strongholds in Italy. Olszatsky cites a similar finding in the 13th-century Opole church; There is also a picture of a game board here.
This discovery is only the latest chapter in the centuries-old history of the castle in Cmielów. Built between 1519 and 1531 by order of local nobleman Krzysztof Szydowiecki, the castle survived the turbulent events of the Swedish Flood by changing hands several times.
In the early 19th century, a large part of the castle was converted into a brewery, then into a bathhouse in 1905, and into a German military hospital in 1944. Purchased by a private party in 2009, the building fell into disrepair before being purchased again by a Gdańsk businessman in 2022.
Previously Focus He wrote about a board that is the only one of its kind for a board game, more than 2 thousand years old.
We also talked about an archaeological mystery. The 1.4-million-year-old spheres were created before humans appeared.
Source: Focus
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