From Africa to the World

The Prompt

Trace the lineage and diffusion of the Mancala game family from its African origins to its global spread. Identify at least three scholarly or primary sources — one on the game's archaeological or ethnographic record in Africa, one on a specific regional variant and its cultural embedding (the divinatory dimension of Ayo, the strategic depth of Bao, the eco-spiritual symbolism of the sowing mechanic), and one on the game's mathematical or computational analysis. Explain what each source reveals about why a game of such apparent simplicity has endured across millennia and continents.

Completion Criteria

Three citations (one archaeological or ethnographic, one cultural, one mathematical or computational), a short essay of three or four paragraphs, and a closing note on what the game's longevity suggests about the universality of its core mechanic.

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