The History of Backgammon
The game of Backgammon can be traced back to before the days of the pharos. It was not played on a board like we do today, and the rules and dice they used are not known. Evidence has been found that Backgammon was played in Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Far East as far back as 3000-1788BC. In Early Backgammon history the game was generally played by leaders and the aristocracy of these early cultures.
The popularity of Backgammon increased around 1960 due t the promoting of the game for tournament play, including the most prestigious tournament held to this day in the Bahamas. Between the years 1960 and 1970 many books on the subject of backgammon were published to the point that this time period was considered the heyday of Backgammon. It was at this time that the game of backgammon switched from being part of the upper class to the middle class and was becoming more and more popular with a younger generation. Tournament purses soared into the hundreds of thousands and its popularity was widespread throughout the US and Europe. In following years the game of Backgammon declined rapidly due to the advent of the video game, but for those who still continued to play Backgammon the game was about to get better. The invention of the computer Backgammon really helped turn the game around. Players could play against the computer who was a skilled opponent but better then that they could now spend hours practicing in different scenarios giving them a much deeper understanding of the game.
Today Backgammon can be found on the computer and even in cell phones once again giving a boost to the game that has been around for at least 5000 years