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Excavation of two Roman pottery kilns in the city center of Heerlen, 1940. (Het Romains Museum/Antiquity Publications Ltd)
A Stone “Board” from Roman Coriovallum
The object itself is small, about 21 by 14.5 centimeters, and was discovered in Heerlen, which sits atop the Roman settlement of Coriovallum. Under magnification, the incised lines show wear consistent with pieces being slid repeatedly along certain routes, not casual scratching or decorative carving. Crucially, some grooves are worn more deeply than others, hinting at favored moves or repeated tactical patterns, explains a Leiden University report.
That physical clue became the bridge to a more ambitious question: if the board is real, can we infer the rules? The team’s approach was to treat the stone like a “fossil” of play, where movement leaves a signature, one that can be tested against rule-sets in simulation writes Archaeology Magazine.
In the wider Roman world, plenty of games are known from boards, counters, and scattered references, such as ludus latrunculorum (“game of soldiers/mercenaries”) and duodecim scripta (sometimes linked to early backgammon-like play). But this Heerlen pattern doesn’t match the standard catalogues, which is why it lingered for decades as a curiosity notes New Scientist.
How AI Simulations Rebuilt the Rules
To test hypotheses, the researchers used the AI-driven game system Ludii, running large numbers of simulated games under many different rule variations and piece set-ups. The goal wasn’t just to find a playable ruleset, it was to find one that reproduces the same uneven wear pattern observed on the stone.
Multiple simulations pointed toward a “blocking game,” where the objective is to restrict an opponent’s movement rather than necessarily capture pieces. In Science News’ summary of the reconstructed play, one likely version involves asymmetric forces - one side placing more pieces (e.g., four) against fewer (e.g., two) - with victory going to the player who avoids being immobilized the longest.
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Results of the AI-driven simulation that produced asymmetrical play along the relevant diagonal line. Walter Crist et al./Antiquity Publications Ltd)
Skepticism remains part of the story. As New Scientist notes, some experts are cautious because the pattern is imprecise and, so far, unique, whereas well-attested ancient games often leave multiple boards across the archaeological record. Even so, the AI-plus-wear approach offers a promising way to interrogate isolated finds that don’t come with rulebooks or clear iconography.
Dogs and Jackals is a captivating board game inspired by ancient Egyptian history and is originally believed to have been played around 1800 BC. Immerse yourself in the world of ancient Egypt with this meticulously designed reproduction, brought to life by Ancient Origins, now featuring a unique wooden box.
Why This Could Rewrite Europe’s Game Timeline
Blocking games are widely documented in Europe from the Middle Ages onward, so a Roman-era example would extend that history significantly. If the interpretation holds, it suggests either that the Romans (or Roman frontier communities) experimented with rule systems that later vanished, or that such games survived mostly in perishable formats, scratched into dirt, wood, or plaster, leaving little trace.
More broadly, this is a glimpse into everyday life at the empire’s northern edge. Games were not just elite pastimes; boards could be etched into all kinds of surfaces, and pieces could be improvised. As Ancient Origins has explored, ancient boards were made from wood, stone, clay tablets, or simply marked on the ground, while pieces ranged from carved counters to everyday objects.
Top image: Incised limestone “board” from Coriovallum (Heerlen), Netherlands. Source: Courtesy of Restaura/University of Leiden
By Gary Manners
References
Crist, W. 2026. Researchers have used AI to reconstruct the rules of a Roman-era board game. Available at: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/nieuws/2026/02/onderzoekers-kraken-de-spelregels-van-onbekend-bordspel-uit-de-romeinse-tijd
Metcalfe, T., 2026. AI helps archaeologists solve a Roman gaming mystery. Available at: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ai-roman-board-game-limestone
Radley, D., 2026. AI simulations reveal a Roman era board game in the Netherlands, pushing Europe’s blocking games back centuries. Available at: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/02/roman-era-board-game-in-the-netherlands/
Simms, C., 2026. Is this carved rock an ancient Roman board game? Available at: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2514929-is-this-carved-rock-an-ancient-roman-board-game/
