What was the famous ancient Mesopotamian board game discovered in royal tombs at Ur called?

The famous ancient Mesopotamian board game discovered in royal tombs at Ur is called the Royal Game of Ur.

British archaeologist Leonard Woolley excavated several game boards at the Royal Cemetery of Ur during the 1920s. The best-known examples date to around 2600 BCE and were made with materials including wood, shell, and lapis lazuli. Their inlaid designs show that gaming was part of elite life in early Mesopotamia.

The original rules were not preserved on the boards, so modern reconstructions rely on later cuneiform descriptions and comparison with related games. Players moved pieces across a decorated track, probably using tetrahedral dice or similar chance devices. The exact rules remain debated.

The game is sometimes confused with Egyptian senet, another ancient board game. They were distinct traditions, although both demonstrate that organized board games existed thousands of years ago.