Ancient Roman Board Games | Roman History Podcast
Para Bellum History - A podcast by Para Bellum History
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What games did the ancient Romans actually play — before chess, playing cards, or modern board games even existed? In this episode, we explore the real games of ancient Rome, reconstructed from archaeological finds, ancient texts, and surviving game boards scratched into stone floors across the empire.You’ll learn how Romans played mill (nine men’s morris), one of the oldest board games in the world, found carved into temples, palaces, gladiator schools, and even brothels. We examine how the rules worked, how they differed in antiquity, and why this simple game became so widespread. We then turn to latrunculi, the most mysterious Roman strategy game — frequently mentioned by ancient authors, yet still only partially understood today. Using evidence like the famous Colchester burial, we explore how scholars attempt to reconstruct its board, pieces, and possible rules.The video also covers Roman dice and gambling games played with astragali — real animal bones that gave us the modern term “dice.” You’ll learn how Romans gambled, how cheating was prevented, and which combinations were considered lucky or powerful. We examine “twelve lines,” the Roman ancestor of backgammon, along with simple alignment games like terni lapilli, the ancient version of tic-tac-toe.Beyond adult games, we look at children’s play in ancient Rome — including walnut games that involved building and destroying miniature fortresses. Finally, we explore one of the strangest finds in Roman archaeology: tesserae lusoriae, ivory tablets that may point to a lost Roman word game — or perhaps something else entirely.This is a journey into Roman everyday life, showing how play, strategy, luck, and competition shaped leisure across the ancient world — and how some Roman games may still be influencing what we play today.
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This Episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/pcYg1Tm2Htg
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🎤 Voiceover by: Nick Banas
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