Interesting: Aristotle, tutor to Alexander The Great, once wrote: “a citizen without a state may be compared to an isolated piece in a game of Petteia”. Allusions to the game are found in the works of such writers as Martial and Ovid and they provide ideal evidence as to the method of capture used in the game with passages such as: unus cum gemino calculus hoste perit, Ov. Ars amatoria 3.358 ("when one counter perishes by a twin foe"); cum medius gemino calculus hoste perit, Ov. Tristia 2.478 ("when a counter perishes in the midst by a twin foe"); and calculus hae (sc. tabula) gemino discolor hoste perit, Mart. 14.17.2 ("a counter of differing colour perishes on this [board] with a twin enemy"). In the 19th century the idea of educational play became popular, and more and more publishers realised the value of promoting learning through games. Mapmakers and book publishers had the necessary skills to design beautifully illustrated games to both entertain and educate younger generations. These could take many forms, from instructional jigsaws and puzzles to complex games which helped children to learn about the history and geography of the British Empire. Religion often featured in games designed for children, and was also an important part of their education. Who adores Calculi? The game is preferred by sharp-minded people, who want to have an ideal mix of exciting fun and intellectual board ride.

Some gladiators were famous for their bloodless victories making their careers on this style of fighting. How do you play with a bone? Good question. In a painting excavated from Pompeii, you can see various goddesses engaged in a game of tali. This is now housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. The game played with many pieces is a board with spaces disposed among lines: the board is called the "city" and each piece is called a "dog;" the pieces are of two colors, and the art of the game consists in taking a piece of one color by enclosing it between two of the other color. Ludus Latrunculorum, Latrunculi, or simply Latrones ("the game of brigands", or "the game of soldiers" from Latrunculus, diminutive of Latro, mercenary or highwayman) was a two-player strategy board game played throughout the Roman Empire. It is said to resemble chess or draughts, but is generally accepted to be a game of military tactics. Because of the scarcity of sources, reconstruction of the game's rules and basic structure is difficult, and therefore there are multiple interpretations of the available evidence.In this collecting of our teaching materials and learning resources you’ll find educational activities, crafts and games to help children engage with their lessons on the Romans at KS2. There are games to suit different learning styles and help children remember information by engaging with it in different ways. A few Ways to get started with Roman Games at KS2 Possibly one of the most famous Roman spectator sports (think Ben Hur), chariot racing actually came from Ancient Greece via the Etruscans. Legend has it that chariot racing was in fact a favorite of Romulus who founded Rome in 753 BC using it as a way to distract the Sabine men while he plotted to abduct the Sabine women.

Or, for a Roman-themed take on a classic print our Roman Gods Pairing Game. Children match the cards that show the same God or Goddess and get to share a different fact from each. We also have a Roman Gladiator Board Game for children who just can’t get enough of the Colosseum. Creative Roman Games for KS2 Two players have sixteen pieces each, which are arranged in two rows facing each other. The goal of the game is to capture all of the opponent's pieces. The game is finished when a player loses either by being reduced to two pieces or by being unable to move. Captured pieces are never replayed onto the board and remain captured for the remainder of the game. Latrunculi as well as latrones is mentioned many times in Ruy López de Segura's classic 1561 work Libro de la invencion liberal y arte del juego del axedrez, also referring to mentions in Jacobus de Cessolis's sermons on the theme of chess in the later thirteenth century.

Tilley, Arthur (October 1892). "Ludus Latrunculorum". The Classical Review. 6 (8): 335–336. doi: 10.1017/s0009840x00186433. JSTOR 690534. Tesserae were also used in several other roman games, including as part of the “Ludus Calculorum” games. 4. Tali