The tradition of games and toys in the ancient world, from the 5th millennium BC to the 5th century AD, through analysis of archaeological, artistic and literary sources from the Middle East, Egypt, Greece and Rome.
[Games and toys in antiquity] Through analysis of archaeological, artistic and literary sources, a reconstruction of the tradition of play in the ancient world, from the 5th millennium BC to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Fully illustrated with photographs of relics and ancient depictions of scenes of play, the volume covers a geographical area extending from the Middle East to Rome, including Egypt and Greece.
The first part is on the pastimes and toys of children, often incredibly similar to those of today. Then the study moves on to the amusements of adults: athletic and team sports, gambling, parlor games. In some cases technical explanations and analysis of the rules are provided, for those interested in trying out an intriguing reconstruction of the games of the past.