Mysterious ancient Chinese board game discovered beside tomb

Well before there was Monopoly or Scrabble, there was ‘bo’, an ancient Chinese board game that archaeologists have discovered beside a 2300-year-old tomb.

Archaeologists found a 14-faced dice, 21 numbered game pieces, and a broken tile that may have served as a playing board, beside a grand tomb near Qingzhou City, Live Science reported. 

They believe the pieces were used to play ‘bo’ – a game last played about 1500 years ago, and the rules of which are uncertain.

One major clue about the game is contained in a 2200-year-old poem by Song Yu, which mentions the rules of play.

“Then with bamboo dice and ivory pieces the game of Liu Bo is begun; sides are taken; they advance together; keenly they threaten each other. Pieces are kinged and the scoring doubled. Shouts of ‘five white’ arise,” Yu wrote.

The relics survived heavy looting of the tomb, which featured two ramps leading into a burial chamber and five pits containing items for the deceased.

Archaeologists counted 26 holes dug by grave-robbers and even located a body believed to be that of a robber.