Tarot historians have drawn their conclusions from studying the evidence of written documents and cards that have survived the passages of time.
We are told Tarot originated in Europe, most likely in Northern Italy between 1420- 1440. Tarot iconography reflecting everyday life in the early 15th century is evident everywhere in Northern Italy.
The earliest names for Tarot are all Italian. Originally the cards were called "carte da trionfi"
(cards of the triumphs). These cards were lavish hand-painted decks commissioned by nobility and used to play a card game. About 100 years later the words "tarocco and tarocchi" began to be used to distinguish using the cards for divination. The German name is tarock, the French name is tarot.
The history of Tarot is fascinating. I am providing you the basic facts and if you desire more details I encourage you to read The TarotL History
InformationInformation Sheet. The information was compiled by members of TarotL (Mary K. Greer, Tom Tadfor Little, Nina Lee Braden, Linda Dunn, Mark Filipas, Robert V. O'Neill, Chistine Payne-Towler, Robert M. Place, James Revak, and others).