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🔎 The dig · Ludus Coriovalli — the worn Roman stone of Heerlen

You are the archaeologist

Nobody wrote down the rules. The board below is the real stone’s own lines (Crist and others, Antiquity, 2026). Build a rule set, then run the wear simulation to see how well the board it wears down matches the real worn stone. Try a few ideas — and keep count.

  • The most-worn lines include a board DIAGONAL.
  • The CENTRE line is comparatively lightly used.
  • MOST of the board surface shows use — pieces travelled widely.

Your rule bricks 🧱

1 · Read the stone’s lines

The lines on the stone are imprecisely drawn, so they can be read six ways; the scientists tested rules on each. Pick a reading: the stone is the only board here.

What if? Would a known board wear the same way?

Boards from other, well-known games. Try one and compare its wear with the stone’s.

2 · How you win

The study’s games, hare-and-hounds among them, were won by blocking. A hare that wins by reaching the far side is our own what-if: test it and see.

● dark side  ● light side  ╱ a diagonal line  ━ thicker = worn on the real stone  ┊ the centre