Where Did the Game of Hide-and-Seek Originate?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 24, 2020

It is believed that the game hide-and-seek originated from a Greek game called “apodidraskinda.” It was described for the first time by the second century Greek writer Julius Pollux.

While it is impossible to determine its exact origin, the game of apodidraskinda is the earliest known example of hide-and-seek. It is played exactly as it is today in our society, with one player closing his or her eyes and counting while the other players hide. Then the first player tries to find the other players before they can make it back to home base. The game was also featured in an early painting discovered at Herculaneum, dating back to around the same time.