Ancient Gaming Pieces

How old is the game of chess?  That question is still debated - most recent findings have placed it to perhaps 300 A.D. or earlier.  But there are drawings in the Egyptian pyramids of a board game played on an 8x8 checkered board.

The collection contains ancient gaming pieces, possibly precursors to chess.  These pieces date from 3000 B.C. to 400 A.D.   For medieval chess pieces, refer to that category within the collection.

Click on any of the photos below for more detailed information on each item.