How long have marbles and marble games been around?
Games involving “marbles” could be almost as old as civilization itself. However, the evidence is only anecdotal for more ancient origins, as glass and ceramic spheres have been recovered from archaeological contexts at Ancient European and Native American sites. However, these spheres may have other uses than for games. “Young Folks At Play” painting by Pieter Brueghel (1560) Better evidence, that provided by historic documentation, definitely places more secure origins for marbles in the late 15th to early 16th centuries, as European paintings and manuscripts from that period do illustrate or mention games involving these little orbs. By the 17th century the game had become common and had even spread to America. The Dutch seem to have been responsible for much of the diffusion of the game’s popularity. Dutch delft tile from around 1675 The first marbles were produced from stone, primarily limestone, though other materials such as agate and alabaster (you can learn more about these he
