Romans

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Like the word, harpastum was a Roman version of an ancient Greek game. Unfortunately, little is known about the rules. Some think it was a violent sport with large groups of competitors vying for one ball. Others think it is more similar to rugby. So what did they play? The Roman writers, Varro and Ovid, both mention a strategy game called latrunculi which may have been similar to chess. Unfortunately no sources record the official rules of the game but it could be that groups and families agreed variants on the ‘official’ rules, like many people today! Captured pieces are never replayed onto the board and remain captured for the remainder of the game.

The most common ancient Roman board games for entertainment were tic tac toe (aka as three-in-a-row or naughts-and-crosses), a game involving small cavities (presumably to hold marbles), the game of the twelve lines known as “ duodecim scripta“, a word game involving the composition of letters called “Reges” and lastly a chess-like game called “ latrunculi“. The players then take hold of the other end of the string. When the race begins, players tug and jerk the frogs so that they move along the string towards them. The first frog to pass the agreed winning line is the top frog! Theodosius, Macrobius Ambrosius. Thayer, W. P. (ed.). "Saturnalia" (in Latin) . Retrieved 2006-11-26. Sed vultisne diem sequentem, quem plerique omnes abaco et latrunculis conterunt, nos istis sobriis fabulis a primo lucis in coenae tempus, ipsam quoque coenam non obrutam poculis, non lascivientem ferculis, sed quaestionibus doctis pudicam et mutuis ex lecto relationibus exigamus?

Tesserae

Some gladiators were famous for their bloodless victories making their careers on this style of fighting. A man in a corner is captured if the opponent places his men on the two squares adjacent to the corner. The ancient Romans were obsessed with pursuing intellectual greatness while accepting the concept of fate. They enjoyed complex, strategic games but were not afraid to risk it all at the roll of a dice. This unique contradiction of values led to some creative games that would then often be explored from a political or military perspective. Terni lapilli was drawn in the shape of boxes, crossed lines and especially in a wheel shaped diagram on the stones of ambulatories of amphitheatres, on floors of public monuments and on the steps of many theatres. This game is the ancestor of the modern Tic-Tac-Toe, but has different rules that make the game very interesting compared with the current version. Because of its simplicity, it is recommended to learn the logic of the board games.

Venatio, meaning “hunting” in Latin, was another Roman spectator sport that took place in amphitheatres. It’s thought to have been inspired by a story in which Alexander the Great pitted lions against men and dogs. This is a two player game. Each player has nine pieces which are placed and moved among the 24 spots on the board. The aim is to capture seven of your opponent’s pieces. But when it came to experienced, well-trained gladiators, it was a spectacle for the crowd rather than a blood bath (like the venatio). Most matches were overlooked by a referee and an assistant, and gladiators showed a lot of skill in their combat. Or, for more Roman numerals practice take a look at the Jigsaw Roman Games - there’s a version going up to 100 and one going up to 1000. Children cut out the little triangles and match the Roman numeral to the decimal number to complete the jigsaw. Our Roman Board Games for KS2 Classes

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If either player forms a straight row of three pieces (a ‘mill’) then they may remove one of their opponent’s pieces. When all the pieces have been placed, players then take turns to move them around the board. To start, place all frogs in a row. Tie one end of the string of each frog to a chair or table leg. The chairs need to line up in a row so the frogs travel the same distance. The string needs to be tied about 20–30cm (9–12in) from the ground. However, it didn’t stop there. Venatio grew more and more outlandish and bigger in scale with all sorts of exotic and ferocious animals from all corners of Rome’s then seemingly ever-expanding empire. Hunts were held in large amphitheatres – the Roman Forum, the Circus Maximus and the Saepta. The game involves a square-shaped map that looks a little like a windmill. On it, players take turns placing their nine “men”, attempting to make three-men lines (or “mills”). When you do so, you get to remove a man from the opposing side. The person who wins does so when the other side has less than three pieces remaining or cannot make a legal move. This is a Roman game of strategy and direct battle; simple but also very exciting because of its rules and also for its strategy. Our version is the most faithful to the documentation provided by the sources and it simulates a clash between two armies composed of eight soldiers. This game is considered one of the ancestors of the chess game.Tilley, Arthur (October 1892). "Ludus Latrunculorum". The Classical Review. 6 (8): 335–336. doi: 10.1017/s0009840x00186433. JSTOR 690534. The board would have a couple of 6 letter words written on three rows, making a total of 36 letters. An example at the Capitoline museums has the words “Abemus in cena, / pullum, piscem / pernam, paonem / benatores …” which makes it sound very much like a pub food board. It is my own random guess that the fiches could land on the letters and a further guess that different letters might have different values – I could easily invent a game for entertainment but it’s not necessarily the game played by the ancient Romans as entertainment! During the Middle Ages, the Latin alphabet was used for writing Romance languages which directly descend from Latin, as well as Celtic, Germanic, Baltic and some Slavic languages. Or, for a Roman-themed take on a classic print our Roman Gods Pairing Game. Children match the cards that show the same God or Goddess and get to share a different fact from each. We also have a Roman Gladiator Board Game for children who just can’t get enough of the Colosseum. Creative Roman Games for KS2

But this is not just a game of conquest. Senators grapple for power in the buildings of the capital and players will score victory points by developments through the game. A game so like Duodecim Scripta that historians argue over which came first, this board game was played by the elite of Rome and Byzantium after it. In fact, the earliest description of the game comes from an epigram of Emperor Zeno, written by Agathias Scholasticus during the mid-sixth century. In it, he described how Zeno moved from a position of strength to weakness over a single role. The Rex ( Dux or Aquila) cannot be captured but can be immobilised by being surrounded on all four sides.

Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum

Roman people worshipped lots of different Gods and Goddesses. To give you an example, Venus was the goddess of love, Neptune was the god of the sea and Mars was the god of war. In it, the author uses the game as a metaphor for battle, pointing out that the counters were often made of glass and that it was a highly strategic game in which keeping your pieces close together was the best move.