Researchers in the Netherlands have been baffled by the unearthing of a smooth, white stone dating back to the Roman era. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), scientists have determined that it was an ancient board game and have also guessed its rules.
According to the reports, the stone was made out of limestone and had diagonal and straight lines cut into it. Results from 3D imaging show that some lines were carved deeper than others, suggesting that playing pieces were moved along them and some more than others.
Walter Crist, an archaeologist at Leiden University specialising in ancient games, says, after having the initial look at the stone, that the lines and the wear around the lines show where the playing pieces would slide around. Researchers at Maastricht University used AI for further understanding of the stone, which gave them the rules of the ancient game.
Ludii, the AI used to decode the rules, was fed with around 100 ancient games from the same area where the Roman stone was found. The computer came up with dozens of possible rule sets, which it then played itself with. Finally, it identified a few variants that are enjoyable for humans to play and came up with an accurate set of rules for the game.
The entire AI research was done by Dennis Soemers from Maastricht University. With the dozens of possibilities, the AI and the team cross-checked the possible rules with the wear on the stone.
Soemers, even after completing the research, sounded a note of caution. He said that Ludii will always find game rules if it is presented with a line pattern like the one found on the stone. Until and unless there is a concrete result, we cannot be sure that the Romans played it in that way precisely.
The aim of the ‘deceptively simple but thrilling strategy game’ was to hunt and trap the opponent’s pieces in as few moves as possible.
