Cross, Bead

This bead cross is believed to be a pachisi board. Pachisi is an ancient game that originated in India but was played across Arabia. This board belonged to Thomas Edward Lawrence, more popularly known as Lawrence of Arabia.

As an archaeologist, Lawrence was familiar with the landscapes of Arabia and Mesopotamia. When the First World War began he joined the British Army and was seconded to an Intelligence unit based in Cairo. From here he became involved in the Arab Rebellion against the Ottoman Empire of 1916-18 which gave him the nickname “Lawrence of Arabia”. It is possible the pachisi board was collected at this time, or later when he was stationed in India with the RAF in 1927.