NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT—According to a statement released by Yale University, archaeologist Veronica Waweru identified a possible series of game boards at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in the highlands of central Kenya after receiving information from local partners that a prehistoric site there was being looted by tourists. She thinks the rows of shallow pits drilled into the rock may have been used to play a version of the two-player strategy board game now known as Mancala. Some of the pits were deep enough to hold a handful of stones, while others had eroded away over time into shallow pockmarks, Waweru explained. She also noted that 19 burial cairns are situated in the same area as the game boards. So, while herders may have used the boards while their flocks grazed, people who came to visit the burial cairns may have played games, too. Marks consistent with sharpening metal knives, perhaps during the butchering process for ritual feasting, have also been found. To read about an ancient game board found in the ruins of a site in the Qumayrah Valley, go to "Around the World: Oman."
