Mancala may be the oldest board game in the world as archaeologists found evidence of it dating as far back as 6000 years before the common era. Making Mancala and its versions probably the oldest board games ever.
Though it was found in Jordan, the game is very popular in Africa, some findings in Egypt and Ethiopia suggest the game spreading in the continent around the 11th century BCE.
So if you are looking to add ancient Egyptian board games to your collection, Mancala would make a great addition.
The rules are fairly simple, usually, there are five holes in front of each player and one bigger one on the right-hand side. With four pebbles in the small holes, you have to empty each hole going clockwise.
You always put one in the big one to your right, but never in the opponent’s.
As you go around, your points are the number of pebbles in the big hole, so have to play smart, while making life difficult for your opponent.
You can buy handmade Mancalas on Etsy and you can also find modern versions of this fun ancient board game on Amazon.
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