If you're like me, you've been spending more time on puzzles and games during these weeks of shelter-in-place. This week's Archaeology at Home theme is around games-- games people have played thousands of years ago and more recent games inspired by the ancient past.
Starting with our friend Irving Finkel from last week's Ancient Demons post, here is a short video where game champ Tom Scott plays Irving Finkel in The Royal Game of Ur.
This Smithsonian webpage provides a nice overview with beautiful photos of some board games from the ancient world.
Want to know how to play an ancient board game? Check out this series, where the hosts research ancient games, 3D print the game boards and pieces, and then play the game.
Here is a link to Senet (Part 1)-- Making an Ancient Egyptian Board Game
and Part 2, where the hosts play the game.
Moving on from board games, this three-part series from the Ancient Art Podcast explores the Ancient Olympics (the link points to part 1 of 3).
Next check out this fun animated video on the Mesoamerican Ball Game by Invicta.
There are a lot of resources on video games that involve archaeology as well as the archaeology of video games. Here is a podcast about Archaeology and Videogames-- Swapping Trowels for Controllers
And here is a fun documentary film from 2014, directed by Zak Penn, about the North American video game crash of 1983, using the Atari video game burial excavation as a starting point.
This podcast discusses ethics as they apply in digital archaeology and the archaeology of video games.
For younger readers, Dig-It! online educational games are offering free games during the pandemic, including several from their Excavate! Series-- Rome, Mesopotamia, and Mesoamerica. Check out the website, where you'll find lots of educational games, either free or reasonable prices.
And here is a 7-minute interview from the Archaeology Podcast Network, who talked with Dig It! Games at the 2016 SAA conference.
Finally, for the latest and greatest in archaeology-themed video games, check out this review of the game Heaven's Vault (from late April 2020):
"Heaven’s Vault is easily one of the best media representations of archaeology and the importance of the past that exists today. From teaching players how to use diligent research skills and appreciate what the past can tell us, to encouraging gamers to use their knowledge to speak truth to power and ultimately decide the future, I truly cannot think of a better way to portray the most crucial aspects of archaeology as it really is — with no skimpy outfits or tomb raiding required."
Here is an interview with one of the creators of Heaven's Vault from last year: Gameplay | How Inkle Made The Greatest Archeology Game.