The Game of Ur

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AKA The Royal Game of Ur, Game of Twenty Squares

The oldest known game -- vastly pre-period, but it comes up in discussions of period games. A fairly simple race game.

From Ur to Aseb: The Evolution of the Game of Twenty Squares (History, Equipment, Rules) -- A look into the Royal Game of Ur and the Egyptian game Aseb, and the historical relationships between them. (more)
Irving Finkel's detailed reconstruction of the game (History, Reconstruction, Translation) -- A more-than-typically detailed writeup of the game, the available source material, and how to interpret it. (more)
Deciphering the World's Oldest Rule Book (History, Video) -- A YouTube video (about 7 minutes) by the curator at the British Museum who managed to put the board and the cuneiform rules together. (more)