In fact, the oldest traces of backgammon go back to the roman "tabula" game ("tabula" meaning "table").
Reperts of Tabulas were found in dozens in Roman archeological sites. It was not shaped as the one we use today (two mirrored parts). Instead, it consisted of a simple straight, linear path divided in segments, where the pieces proceeded in opposite directions. There are many references in literature that suggest that the rules of the game that the romans played were almost identical to those the modern BG, with the only exception that they entered the board from the beginning (exactly like you do if you play the modern Nackgammon).
Like we do today, a move was final and couldn't be changed only when you took the dice from the board. This is exactly what Julius Ceasar was referring to when he said "alea iacta est" (i.e. "the dice is taken") while crossing the Rubicone river: in fact, by crossing that border, he was opening an open conflict with the Roman Senate, after having discussed from a distance in the previous months, and closing in with his troops to the limit he would not be allowed to cross in arms. His historic sentence, pronounced when he decided to violate the law and enter Italy in arms, was meant to say "done with the talking: the decision is taken".
Tabula then survived in eastern provinces of the empire (modern Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Greece) while being forgotten in the west. Thus, more recently, it was made popular from middle-east cultures and spread to Germany, Great Britain and the States.
