AI Just Cracked the Rules of a Lost Roman Board Game, and It’s Unlike Anything We Expected
ZME Science • • technology
Key Points:
- Archaeologist Walter Crist discovered a unique Roman limestone slab in a Dutch museum, initially thought to be a board game but with an unfamiliar geometric pattern unlike known Roman games.
- Microscopic wear analysis revealed abrasion consistent with game piece movements, indicating the slab was used for a "blocking game" where players try to block each other's moves, similar to tic-tac-toe.
- Researchers used AI simulations to test various traditional European game rules against the wear patterns, identifying the game as an asymmetric "dogs and hares" style contest, previously undocumented in Roman times.
- Named Ludus Coriovalli, the game involves one player controlling four "dogs" and the other two "hares," with the goal of the dogs blocking hares and hares
