Jacks with Cloth Bag

Jacks, in its original form, was played in ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. This game was also known as Jackstones, Five Stones, Knucklebones, and other names. Knucklebones eventually led to the game of dice (which was mostly played by boys) and to the game of jacks (which was mostly played by girls). Jacks is a game of skill, as are earlier games that involve throwing the jacks into the air and catching them, or bouncing a ball and picking up a certain number of jacks from a surface. Children all over the world have played some form of jacks for centuries.