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Ancient Roman Board Game Discovered with AI Analysis

2/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Netherlands-based researchers identified a Roman-era smooth white limestone stone as an ancient board game using artificial intelligence to analyze wear.
Archaeologist Walter Crist from Leiden University notes the wear matches how game pieces would slide.
The AI program Ludii generated possible rules from the stone’s patterns.
Dennis Soemers from Maastricht University cautions the AI findings may not reflect actual Roman play.
The study, published in Antiquity, indicates a rich tradition of strategic games in ancient Europe.

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Story summary

The Netherlands-based researchers identified a Roman-era smooth white limestone stone as an ancient board game using artificial intelligence to analyze wear.
Archaeologist Walter Crist from Leiden University notes the wear matches how game pieces would slide.
The AI program Ludii generated possible rules from the stone’s patterns.
Dennis Soemers from Maastricht University cautions the AI findings may not reflect actual Roman play.
The study, published in Antiquity, indicates a rich tradition of strategic games in ancient Europe.