Nat Geo’s Mosaic Backgammon Set

I know Christmas is over already and that you have probably spent a considerable sum of money (not to mention the fact that the old piece of plastic might have been swiped one time too many) but I just cannot resist sharing this find with you. National Geographic is one of the sites that I visit on a regular basis – not for shopping normally but for all sorts of cool information that you can find there. Today, though, I found something that just might prompt me to spend some more money, if my finances can survive another hit.

Anyhow, here it is – the mosaic backgammon set:

The product description states:

Backgammon may be the world’s oldest board game. Invented in Mesopotamia, there is evidence of it being played in ancient Egypt, Rome, China, Japan, and England. Over the millennia it evolved into today’s simple but multilayered game of tiles and strategy. Made by a fourth-generation artist in Damascus, Syria, this game board is handcrafted using hundreds of tiny pieces—called tesserae—of inlaid walnut, olive, lemon, apricot, and rosewood. Can also play chess and checkers on the reverse of the folding case. Backgammon and checker pieces included. 16″ square when open.

Some info on tesserae – it is a tile in the shape of a cube. In the ancient days, they used pebbles to make them. Now, they can be made from marble, limestone, glass, and different kinds of wood. These things are really beautiful and having hundreds of them in a backgammon set is just marvelous! That is why this baby costs $149!