Play was important -- even 4,000 years ago

AlphaGalileo ^ | Monday, February 7, 2011 | University of Gothenburg

[SunkenCiv]

Elke Rogersdotter's study shows some surprising results. Almost every tenth find from the ruined city is play-related. They include, for instance, different forms of dice and gaming pieces. In addition, the examined finds have not been scattered all over. Repetitive patterns have been discerned in the spatial distribution, which may indicate specific locations where games were played.

"The marked quantity of play-related finds and the structured distribution shows that playing was already an important part of people's everyday lives more than 4,000 years ago," says Elke.

"The reason that play and game-related artefacts often end up ignored or being reinterpreted at archaeological excavations is probably down to scientific thinking's incongruity with the irrational phenomenon of games and play," believes Elke.

[SunkenCiv]

Play was an important part of people's everyday lives here in Indus Valley 4,000 years ago.

[SunkenCiv]

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[TomGuy]

Play was important -- even 4,000 years ago

Well, Duh!

Of course it was important. Cable TV and the Internet hadn't been invented yet.

[worst-case scenario]

I suppose this means that when I tell my teen-aged son not to spend so much time playing video games, he will argue that he is just continuing a tradition millennia old.

Oh well! I’ll just have to console myself with another game of Sudoku.

Thanks for an enticing link.

[colorado tanker]

Well, SOME toys are ritual objects related to fertility.

[SunkenCiv]

The reason the Indus Valley civilization fell is, the kids spent their early years playing a lot, but then went away to college. They came home one weekend and found out that their parents had sold or given away all their toys.

[worst-case scenario]

And then they spent the next 30 years telling their wives about how Dad tossed out a fortune!

I still think tear up when I think about that Spiderman #2.