The Origin of Five-Suit Spades
Origins in Africa Many ancient card games have origins in Africa. Some suites had Bowls, Treasures and Coins, others had Swords, Swords, Swords or Stakes, and others used Catheters or Stools. Early Europeans were also some of the first to use symbols other than the four. This tradition continues to this day with many African cultures using different pictographs for identification purposes.
Egypt is another possible origin. Many of the earliest Egyptian cards were made out of precious metals. These were often carved to resemble animals. Egypt evolved into the game we know today, just like many primitive card games. Although it is unlikely that the Egyptians played solitaire, it is possible they played a variant of a matching game with sets of matching playing card.
European Settlements European card games evolved from voyages to Central and Western Africa. These early players used three cards to represent each of four locations they traveled to. Each player would then utilize the same suit from these suits to try to form pairs representing the towns or cities they passed through. Although most of these games featured hearts, some may have included spades, clubs, diamonds, and spades. The suit known as "cess" has remained popular through the years.
Other Origins. The board games that gave rise to the game we know today didn't invent the game we play today. Although many of these principles still exist, there were many materials that were used. They were still round and could be either made of cardboard with raised edges or pea-shaped bowls with removable domes. The first playing cards were made from wood from trees that had been brought down from Asia and Africa. The materials used in the earliest sets were often very coarse and rough.
Development Over the years, playing cards evolved and were used for many purposes. They started out as simple cards cut from wood. Worn ivory was sometimes added to them to create a more elegant look. Wrapping the cards in felt or cloth was done to protect them from dirt. A new process was used during the Renaissance to keep the playing cards clean and dry. This new process, called distillation was used to remove oils, waxes, and other contaminants from the cards' surfaces.
Arabian Nights. While the Arabians were among the first people to create and write cards, they didn't invent the game we all know today. However, the Arabs did create a unique variation of the game we know today. Their version was very similar to the original decks of playing card, which had only one deck. One player was the King while the others, or "jahans", were his subjects. This variation saw two jahans playing opposite each other. They were trying to steal the King’s kingdom by winning the highest score or serving longest consecutive times in the game.
History of Five-Suit Spades Early prototypes of five-suit Spades did not have any resemblance to the modern version we know today. Early prototypes had four suits, but it was difficult to tell which one was which. The idea was to have the players identify the King by looking at the card they held. It was necessary to distinguish the King from the subjects using the Ace of Spades. This was used to identify which suit the owner was.
Development of Ace of Spades The Ace of Spades would eventually change into the standard card playing shape we know today. The original card playing shape was known as the Ace of Clubs or Ace of Horseshoes. Early prototypes of the five card game featured clubs and hearts in the same color. This was later changed into the more familiar royal or red playing cards.