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AI Reconstructs Rules for Ancient Roman Board Games
Thousands of AI simulations indicate the carved limestone was likely a Roman blocking game named Ludus Coriovalli, predating known European examples by centuries.
- In a paper in Antiquity published Monday, researchers report AI simulations suggest the Heerlen stone was a Roman blocking game, using the Ludii AI system.
- A 212 by 145 millimetre limestone slab was found in Coriovallum, now Heerlen, dating to AD 250–476; the carved rectangle with four diagonal and one straight line shows wear from sliding playing pieces.
- Using Ludii, two AI agents replayed thousands of possible games testing 130 rule variations and over 100 rule sets, producing nine blocking-game rule sets consistent with the wear.
- The team tentatively calls the reconstruction Ludus Coriovalli and published a playable online version, which if confirmed would push evidence for blocking games in Europe back several centuries.
- Some experts remain unconvinced that the object can be proven a game board, as the board’s archaeological context is unknown and certainty may be impossible, but researchers advocate combining AI and archaeology methods.
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A mysterious stone that has been gathering dust in a Dutch museum for years may be an ancient Roman board game. This is according to a Belgian study reported by the RTBF. Using a specialized AI model and an extensive database of historical board games, the researchers even unraveled how the nearly 1,800-year-old game was once played.
·Antwerp, Belgium
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Left, 43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources lean Left, 43% of the sources are Center
43% Center
L 43%
C 43%
14%
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