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Children normally played in the open because it was dark inside the houses. Even though outdoor games and toys predominated, there were many indoor games as well. The outdoor games included “hopscotch,” running, use of bow and arrow for target and distance shooting (1 Samuel 20:20-21; Lamentations 3:12), aiming stones into a pit, marbles aimed through three arches, and games with balls (throwing and catching, juggling).
Young children seem to have played with rattles. They were pottery boxes containing pieces of broken pot, and they had perforations to let out the sound when shaken. Other rattles were made in the shape of dolls and birds.
they were rather heavy, and some people therefore believe that they were normally used in music or in worship.
There were many board games in use too. One of the oldest games known is the so-called Royal Game of Ur, which was in use about 1800 bc. Another board has been found with three rows of four squares in the middle. Another board with fifty-eight holes arranged around a shape like a violin was found Megiddo. Every fifth hole was special, surrounded by a medallion of gold.
Other boards indicate that something like chess or draughts (checkers) was played, and “Mancala” was common. Most of the board games seem to have been played with dice, either a two-sided die in the form of a dice or a four-sided die in the shape of a pyramid. (END OF PART 1)
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