Ludus Coriovalli: using artificial intelligence-driven simulations to identify rules for an ancient board game

Walter Crist; Éric Piette; Karen Jeneson; Dennis J. N. J. Soemers; Matthew Stephenson; Luk van Goor; Cameron Browne

doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10264

Ludus Coriovalli: using artificial intelligence-driven simulations to identify rules for an ancient board game

Walter Crist^*
, Éric Piette
, Karen Jeneson
, Dennis J. N. J. Soemers
, Matthew Stephenson
, Luk van Goor
, Cameron Browne

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

The history of games is obscured by our inability to recognise indicators of play in the archaeological record. Lines incised on a piece of rounded limestone found at the Roman site of Coriovallum in Heerlen, The Netherlands, evoke a board game yet do not reflect the grid of any game known today. Here, the results of use-wear analysis are used to inform artificial intelligence-driven simulations based on permutations of rules from historic Northern European games. Disproportionate wear along specific lines favours the rules of blocking games, potentially extending the time depth and regional use of this game type.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	111-126
Number of pages	16
Journal	Antiquity
Volume	100
Issue number	409
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2025.10264
Publication status	Published - 2026

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10.15184/aqy.2025.10264Licence: CC BY

Ludus Coriovalli AI-Simulated Play
Crist, W. (Creator), Piette, E. (Creator), Jeneson, K. (Creator), Soemers, D. J. N. J. (Creator), Stephenson, M. (Creator), van Goor, L. (Creator) & Brown, C. (Creator), DataverseNL, 16 Oct 2024
DOI: 10.34894/bwsjxl
Dataset/Software: Dataset

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abstract = "The history of games is obscured by our inability to recognise indicators of play in the archaeological record. Lines incised on a piece of rounded limestone found at the Roman site of Coriovallum in Heerlen, The Netherlands, evoke a board game yet do not reflect the grid of any game known today. Here, the results of use-wear analysis are used to inform artificial intelligence-driven simulations based on permutations of rules from historic Northern European games. Disproportionate wear along specific lines favours the rules of blocking games, potentially extending the time depth and regional use of this game type.",

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AU - van Goor, Luk

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AB - The history of games is obscured by our inability to recognise indicators of play in the archaeological record. Lines incised on a piece of rounded limestone found at the Roman site of Coriovallum in Heerlen, The Netherlands, evoke a board game yet do not reflect the grid of any game known today. Here, the results of use-wear analysis are used to inform artificial intelligence-driven simulations based on permutations of rules from historic Northern European games. Disproportionate wear along specific lines favours the rules of blocking games, potentially extending the time depth and regional use of this game type.

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Ludus Coriovalli: using artificial intelligence-driven simulations to identify rules for an ancient board game

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Ludus Coriovalli AI-Simulated Play

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