baba-prague
There has been regular but intermittent discussion here about the probable arab origin of playing cards (including the form of the suits). I think it's fairly obvious that there was, at the very least, a huge influence - although I won't be surprised if someone here disagrees!
It fits with the whole Templar thing (which I am not so convinced by) which is the argument that it was the Templars that brought the cards back from the crusades, and then adapted them. It's just as likely surely that they came to Europe via trade - after all games were always popular and good ones did travel and spread.
What I found very interesting about the way this thread began was the idea of looking for more of the influences behind the decorative elements of these cards. I think we are so used to looking for the sources of the symbolism of the more pictorial Majors, that we may forget about the pips. So the discussion is a good one - I'm glad to see that's it's revived a bit.
It fits with the whole Templar thing (which I am not so convinced by) which is the argument that it was the Templars that brought the cards back from the crusades, and then adapted them. It's just as likely surely that they came to Europe via trade - after all games were always popular and good ones did travel and spread.
What I found very interesting about the way this thread began was the idea of looking for more of the influences behind the decorative elements of these cards. I think we are so used to looking for the sources of the symbolism of the more pictorial Majors, that we may forget about the pips. So the discussion is a good one - I'm glad to see that's it's revived a bit.
