A set of three rare Sumerian Granite Gaming Pieces, Early Bronze Age, ca. 3100 - 2200 BCE

Carved from dark grey granite, this rare trio of Early Bronze Age gaming pieces comprises two tapering conical forms and a larger wedge-shaped marker, each worked with simple yet deliberate shaping characteristic of utilitarian objects in the third millennium BC Mesopotamian sphere. Such pieces are commonly associated with early board games, including precursors to the “Royal Game of Ur,” and reflect the Sumerian affinity for structured play, strategy, and symbolic contest.

Games were not merely recreational but often imbued with ritual significance, social hierarchy, and divinatory meaning. The present examples likely functioned as player tokens or positional markers in a board-based game involving movement across a gridded or pathway layout. Granite, both durable and visually weighty, suggests these pieces were intended for repeated use, perhaps in a communal or elite setting. Comparable types have been excavated at major Sumerian urban centers such as Ur, Kish, and Shuruppak, testifying to the widespread popularity of gaming culture in early Mesopotamia. 

Medium: Granite

Dimensions: Highest: 2 1/4 inches (5.7 cm), Smallest: 1 1/2 inches (3.81 cm)

Condition: Intact with expected edge wear to high points from ancient use.

Provenance: Private Connecticut collection, acquired from Joe Gerena Fine Art, NYC., prior to 1980.

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