A FASCINATING exhibition from the British Museum featuring the history of board games is on its way to the North-East.

Segedunum Roman Fort, on Hadrian's Wall, will be the launchpad for Across the Board - Around the World in 18 Games on Saturday.

The exhibition features an assortment of board games across many times, places and cultures, and includes loans from other collections, including the Bell Collection at Durham University.

Stars of the show will be 20 of the Lewis Chessmen, 12th Century carved ivory chess pieces, which rank among the nation's great treasures.

With 11 more owned by the Museum of Scotland, they were found buried in sand dunes on a remote beach in the Outer Hebrides and were believed to be have been the stock of a travelling ivory salesman.

The Roman game duodecim scripta was scratched on seats in amphitheatres, evidence of which was found by archaeologists thousands of years later.

Snakes and ladders is an ancient game that originated from India and was used to teach morality.

Segedunum curator Geoff Woodward said: "Across the Board features board games that are familiar to everyone - from ancient games, such as the Royal Game of Ur, to modern games, such as Monopoly and Ludo."

The exhibition is the result of a partnership between Tyne and Wear Museums, the North-East Regional Museums Hub and the British Museum. It runs until June 16.

Visitors will be invited to play replicas of some of the world's most famous games.

Published: 20/01/2005