Nine Men's Morris, also known as Merrills, Mill and Merels, is an old English game that goes back to antiquity - evidence has been found for the game in ancient Rome and possibly Ancient Egypt. More recently, references in the works of Shakespeare have given it an image of the archetypal medieval board game.Like most of the best games, Nine Mens Morris rules are simple, the objective being to capture opposing pieces by forming lines of 3. It is an under-rated game of skill that is easy to learn but sometimes requiring deep thought - a bit like grown-up tic-tac-toe (or noughts and crosses). It is an entertaining game for beginners and veterans alike and something for older children and adults to enjoy.Nine Mens Morris is another contender for the prize of 'Oldest game in the world' and is known by a number of different names in England - Nine Mens Morris or Morelles or Merrills or Merels or Mill or just plain Morris.The game is most likely an evolution of the simpler Three Mens Morris and primitive board patterns have been found dating back to as early as 1440BC, cut into the temple at Kurna, Egypt. Other boards have been discovered in Ceylon, carved during the reign of Mahadithika Maha-Naga (9-21AD). Boards have also been found across Europe in such places as the first city of Troy, within a Bronze age burial site in Ireland and at the Acropolis in Athens. In Europe the game's popularity peaked during the Fourteenth Century.The old English game used to be played with black and white pebbles on a board that was dug into village greens using a trowel. It was also popular in many taverns with boards marked with chalk on a table. The game is actually mentioned in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Act 2, Scene 2 - "The Nine Mens Morris is filled up with mud" which must have been a common problem for the primitive boards when it rained!You can learn more about the History of Morris from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.