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The most popular “thinking” game in the Roman Empire was Latrunculi which means “robber-soldiers” or mercenaries. This game was played on boards that had different sizes. Archaeological finds suggest that Latrunculi had two playing pieces making it different from Petteia, a Greek game played with on stone which is how it got its name Petteia. Experts are certain that Latrunculi derives from Petteia. Tabula Tabula can be described as the Roman version of backgammon. Tabula was played on a special board and that is how it got its name, since tabula means “board” in Latin. Tabula is similar to the Egyptian game Senet. The Greeks developed better versions of the game such as Diagramismos or Grammai. It was the Romans, however, who perfected the most enjoyable version of all –Tabula. Senet-Petteia Senet was the favourite game of the ancient Egyptians. The game also became popular in the Roman Empire. In Greece, it generated the game Diagramismos or Grammai. Similar games such as Tabula and Duodecim Scriptorum, evolved from Senet. Senet was played on a board of three rows and ten squares. The playing pieces were called “ibau”, which means dancers. The pieces came in many shapes including pyramids or cones and barrels. There were a total of ten pieces, five black and five white. These pieces would be put into play on opposite corners and moved according to the throw of dice etc. In many ways Senet is similar to Backgammon. Pente Grammai Pente Grammai means “five lines” and was an Ancient Greek game. Pente Grammai is played with stones on a five by five (5 x 5) board and the game uses dice throws to decide each player’s moves. This game probably came from an Egyptian game. If dice were used in this game, then the playing pieces would be lined up and the moves were based on the dice similar to Senet, Tabula, or Backgammon. However, many things about this game are not known, such as the exact rules of the game. Check that you understand what these words mean in this document Mercenary: a soldier who fights for the country that pays him, not his own country. |
