‘Ludus Duodecim Scriptorium’: Roman Antiquity’s Popular Game Unearthed In Ancient City of Kibyra, Turkey

MessageToEagle.com – Two game pieces from the Roman era 1,800 years ago have been found in the ancient city of Kibyra, known for its history of gladiators and located in the southern Turkish province of Burdur.

“We don’t have too much information about this game but we believe that it was played by two people on squares … with dice,” Professor Ünal Demirer said, adding that the Roman-era game dated back 1,800-2,000 years ago at least.

The game was known as ‘Ludus duodecim scriptorium’ (‘XII scripta’) or ‘the game of 12 lines written down’ and is first mentioned in Ovid’s amorous poetry, according to Hurriyet Daily News

The games board contains many similarities to that of the famous backgammon, including a bar, with six points on either side, however it also had three rows and was played with three dice.

Each player has fifteen pieces, the game is played with three six-sided dice. Players roll all three dice and the three numbers can be used individually or combined (but a piece must be able to land on each landing point).

All moves must be taken whenever possible. The earliest mention of the game ‘Ludus duodecim scriptorium’ is in Ovid’s ‘Ars Amorous’ written between 1 BC-8 AD.
It is believed that the game developed from the game Senet.

Demirer said the works had been continuing since 2007 on the avenue of the ancient city’s agora adding that the game pieces were also used for other purposes. It is known that some layouts of this game used symbols, others used six-letter words.

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“The game was found in the pool structure. We think that it was also used for another purpose. Because of its Latin name, we attribute the game to the Romans. It is like today’s Jacks.
People spent time in the agora playing such games,” he said.

“Ludus duodecim scriptorum” was a board game popular during the time of the Roman Empire. The game tabula in Byzantium is thought to be a descendant of this game, and both are similar to modern backgammon.

Very little information about specific gameplay has survived, though we know that it was played using three cubic dice, and each player had 15 pieces.

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