AI helps archaeologists solve a Roman gaming mystery

What’s Happening

Not gonna lie, Researchers used AI-driven virtual players to test more than 100 rule sets, matching gameplay to wear patterns on a Roman limestone board.

News Archaeology AI helps archaeologists solve a Roman gaming mystery The researchers used virtual players to test possible combinations of pieces and moves A game “board” is inscribed on a flat piece of limestone found amid the ruins of Coriovallum, a Roman-era town in what’s now the Netherlands. Courtesy of Restaura By Tom Metcalfe 7 hours ago this: via email (Opens in new window) Email Click to on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to on X (Opens in new window) X Click to print (Opens in new window) Print An old, flattened piece of limestone inscribed with a crisscross of grooves looks like the board for a game, but for nearly a century, no one knew how the game was played. (plot twist fr)

Now, researchers have used AI to reverse-engineer the rules, revealing the board was probably part of a “blocking” game played .

The Details

The innovative approach to solving how the game was played had virtual game players run through more than 100 sets of possible rules. The researchers’ goal was to determine which set of rules best created the wear patterns on the limestone, Leiden University archaeologist Walter Crist and his colleagues report in the February Antiquity.

For our We summarize the week’s scientific breakthroughs every Thursday. Archaeologist Véronique Dasen of Switzerlands University of Fribourg called the study “notable” and added that the technique could be used to investigate other “took an L” games.

Why This Matters

“The research results invite [archaeologists] to reconsider the identification of Roman period graffiti that could be actual boards for a similar game not present in texts,” she says. The board, just 20 centimeters across, was found in the Dutch city of Heerlen and put on display in a local museum. Heerlen sits atop the ruins of the Roman town of Coriovallum.

Scientists and researchers are watching this development closely.

The Bottom Line

Heerlen sits atop the ruins of the Roman town of Coriovallum.

Are you here for this or nah?