"Thimblerig": the noble origins of Russia's most criminal game

When we hear about the game of "shells", images of suspicious guys from the 90s standing at train stations or markets with plastic cups involuntarily pop up before our eyes. Their goal is to attract players who will try to guess under which cup the ball is hidden. But behind the facade of innocent entertainment lies a criminal scheme that deprives gambling participants of money.

It turns out that this seemingly fraudulent pastime has an ancient and worthy history, rooted in the depths of centuries.

Getting involved with thimbleriggers means almost certainly being left without cash, and sometimes without large household savings. Such swindlers work in teams, skillfully using fake players in the crowd. The accomplices, posing as simpletons from the street, first lose, and then hit the jackpot. They glow with happiness and look so sincere that there are immediately many people willing to try their luck.

But there is no trace of fortune here. The street crook masterfully places the ball where he wants it. The swindlers skillfully draw the victim into the game, letting him win a little, and then fleece him blind. Some, in despair, run home, take their savings out of hiding places or borrow from friends, hoping to win back. But success in this game is excluded, and the victim, outraged by the deception, can also be beaten. Fortunately, such "attractions" are almost uncommon lately.

Many people mistakenly believe that "thimbles" are a domestic invention associated with the criminal environment. But this is not so - the first passions around the ball under the caps flared up long before the advent of our era. Archaeologists have found many ancient images in which people entertain themselves in this way. These are the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, the Middle East, Southeast Asia. Probably, the game itself comes from India, but this is not certain.

It is difficult to guess the rules of the game from frescoes and mosaics. Therefore, many consider the date of birth of "thimbles" to be the turn of the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. It was then that the Greek writer and philosopher Alciphron clearly and understandably outlined the principles of the game in his work, similar to modern ones. True, the ancient Greek called the game nobly - "a game with cups". As thimbles, the Greeks used wine cups, and those who were poorer, clay cups or nut shells.

The game had no criminal connotations at the time. On the contrary, the game with cups was considered an entertainment for worthy people inclined to philosophy and logical constructions. The Greeks played it both simply, for fun, and for money. At the same time, cheating was considered an unworthy act and the swindler was threatened with expulsion from decent society. Perhaps, in some places, the game had some sacred meaning. This idea is suggested by the images of cups on ancient Tarot cards.

It is believed that the game of "thimbles" was criminalized in the Middle Ages. At least, it was already spoken of very badly back then. Why did this happen? Probably, it was all about the church, which condemned gambling. Therefore, everything that attracted the gameplay: cards, dice, thimbles, moved into the category of games for dashing and far from God-fearing people.

The great Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch showed the process of playing "thimbles" well. At the beginning of the 16th century, he painted "The Magician" in which the same thing is happening as now. A crowd of onlookers stands at a table on which there are inverted glasses and balls. The "magician" shows one ball to the spectators. While everyone is watching the sleight of hand and, perhaps, making bets, wallets are being stolen from belts in the crowd.

The great Dutchman's painting is definitely not a street magician. It is known that Hieronymus Bosch was a master of allegories and encrypted secret meanings in the objects on his canvases. There is a frog sitting on the table in front of the players. A second one, which is hard to see, is peeking out of the mouth of a simpleton leaning over. In canonical medieval painting, a frog is a symbol of vice. This makes it clear that nothing good is happening in the painting.

In the 17th-18th centuries, the game became very popular in Western Europe. It was then that sewing thimbles began to be used, which is where the modern name came from. The European pastime most likely came to Russia during the Peter the Great era, along with cards and other games forbidden to Orthodox people.

What do you think, could the shell game become popular again in the modern world if it were given back its philosophical and logical character, as in Ancient Greece? Or will it forever remain a symbol of deception and fraud? Share your opinion in the comments!