Period Ancient

Region Eastern Asia

Category Reconstruction, Pending, Board, War

Description

Liubo is one of the oldest games known from ancient China. Its distinctive board, with the "TLV" pattern, is known since at least the Warring States period in China. Texts and artifacts give clues about the rules of the game, and a recently discovered text purporting to be the rules of the game has not been translated.

Rules

Liubo board. Six pieces per player. Six throwing sticks used as dice.

Origin

China

Ludeme Description

Liubo.lud

Concepts

Browse all concepts for Liubo here.

Evidence Map

33 pieces of evidence in total. Browse all evidence for Liubo here.

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Evidence category: All Artifact Art Text Ethnography

Evidence coloured based on: Age None

Map style: Streets OpenStreetMaps ArcGIS Topographique Voyager

Sources

Selbitschka, A. 2016. 'A Tricky Game: A Re-evaluation of Liubo Based on Archaeological and Textual Evidence.' Oriens Extremus 55: 105-166.

Tseng, L. 2004. 'Representation and Appropriation: Rethinking the TLV Mirror in Han China." Early china 29: 162-215.

Yang, L. 1947. 'A Note on the Co-Called TLV Mirrors and the Game Liu-po.' Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 9(3/4):202-206.

Identifiers

DLP.Games.112

Images

Liubo board and pieces from China. Han Dynasty.
Metropolitan Museum of Art 1994.285a–m, Purchase, Eileen W. Bamberger Bequest, in memory of her husband, Max Bamberger, 1994.

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     ludii.games@gmail.com
     cameron.browne@maastrichtuniversity.nl