Roman Games

  • Entertainment for the Ancient Romans consisted of Festivals celebrated by Public Games known as ‘Ludi’.
  • These could be Chariot Races, Gladiator Contests, Public Executions, Animal Hunts and Naval Battles. There were also Processions, Triumphs and Theatres for Plays and Music.

1. The Roman Amphitheatre

  • There was a formal arrangement for the order of entertainment throughout the Roman Empire.
    • Before Midday:
      • Venatio, ‘the Hunt’ where animals were hunted down by the ‘Bestiarii’.
    • Midday:
      • The execution of criminals usually by Damnatio ad bestias, being ‘condemned to the beasts’.
    • After Midday:
      • ‘Ludi Gladiatorus’, the Gladiator combats.
      • Re-enactments of famous battles.
      • Occasionally, Sea Battles called Naumachia.

2. Roman Gladiators (Ludi Gladiatorus)

3. Naumachia (Sea Battles)

    • Naumachia were mock battles between Galleys.
    • In 46 BCE, Julius Caesar held a Naumachia with 2,000 soldiers and 4,000 rowers. They were all prisoners of war. He had a basin dug near the Tiber.
    • In 2 BCE, Augustus held a Naumachia with 3,000 soldiers in 30 vessels. It was an imitation of the earlier Naumachia by Julius Caesar.

4. Roman Theatre (Ludi Scaenicus)

    • Roman Theatres were Greek in style, with a semi-circular seating area to maximise the acoustics and often built on their own foundations. They are found all over the Roman Empire.
    • Whereas Amphitheatres were for Races, Games and Gladiator Displays, Theatres were for Plays, Musical Performances, Choral Events, Orations and Recitations.
    • The ‘Scaenae frons’ was a decorated background to the stage which could be 2-3 stories high.
    • The Paired Theatres at Lyon had a Rising Curtain.
    • Performances consisted of Comedies, Farce and Mime, Roman Music and Roman Puppetry.
    • Roman Music.
      • Music Concerts were performed in the Roman Theatres around the Empire. A collection of Roman musical instruments is held in the British Museum.

5. Roman Chariot Races (Ludi Circensis)

6. Roman Festivals (Ludi)

    • Roman Festivals were called Dies Ferialis and were Public Holidays and part of the Roman Calendar.
    • The important Festivals were held on specific days and formed part of the Roman Religion, but holidays could also be given on an ad hoc basis.
    • To Host a Public Festival there was a minimum Income requirement for the Host.
    • Roman Festival List.

7. Roman Olympic Games

    • The Olympic Games continued to be held at Olympia in Greece, during the Period of the Roman Empire (27 BCE-476 CE) until 393 CE.
    • They were held once in Rome during 80 BCE, by the Roman Dictator Sulla (138-78 BCE).
    • They were finally abolished in 393 CE by Theodosius I.

8. Roman Dice Games

    • Knucklebones (Tali)
      • Played with four dice made of sheep bones with four sides (numbered 1, 3, 4 and 6).
      • Top score was when each dice showed a different number.  It was called Ludus Talorum. The Dice were shaken and thrown from a cup.
    • Dice (Tesserae)
      • Played with three dice with six sides (numbered 1-6).
      • Top score was three sixes. It was called Ludus Tesserarum or Ludus Aleae. The Dice were also shaken and thrown from a cup.

9. Roman Ball Games

    • Pilae: meaning ‘Ball Games’
      • ‘Follis’
        • Involved hitting the ball by means of a padded arm or with the hand.
      • ‘Pilo Trigonalis’
        • Where three players in a triangle passed the ball with penalties for dropping it.
      • Harpastum
        • Was very similar to modern football with two teams trying to get a chequered ball into the other team’s goal.
    •  Trochus:
      • A large Hoop was pushed with a stick called a ‘Radius’.

10. Odds or Evens

    • Par Impar:
      • Meaning Odds or Evens. A bet was made between two players, as to whether the number of stones held in the hand of one of the player’s was an odd or an even number.
    • Navia aut capita:
      • Similar to ‘Heads or Tails’ because a Roman coin often had a ship (navia) on one side and the Head (capita) of Janus with two faces. on the other.
    • Micatio:
      • Similar to ‘Par Impar’ except the two players would use their fingers instead of stones and hold up each hand showing 0-5 fingers. The other player would have to guess whether it was an odd or even number, or guess the total number of fingers displayed.

11. Roman Board Games

    • Caliculi: Roman Checkers
    • Duodecim Scripta: The Game of twelve lines
    • Felix Sex: The Game of Lucky Sixes
    • Latrunculi: Roman Game similar to Chess
    • Petteia: Single Stone Latrunculi
    • Tabula: Roman Backgammon
    • Tali and Tropa: Knucklebones
    • Terni Lapilli: Tic-Tac-Toe
    • Tesserae: Dice

12. Roman Gambling

    • The Law:
      • All Gambling in Ancient Rome was banned by the Lex Cornelia and Lex Publicia. The Lex Titia banned the game of Dice.
    • Exceptions:
      • Betting was permitted at the Roman Circus and during Roman Chariot Races.
      • And all Games were permitted during the festival of Saturnalia.
      • The penalty was prison or a Fine, the Fine being multiples of the Sum bet.
    • Under the Empire
      • The Laws appear not to have been enforced.
      • Shops existed where Dice was played.
      • Four Emperors were know to have been gamblers: Augustus, Nero, Claudius and Commodus who turned his Palace into a Casino in an attempt to refinance the State Treasury.

13. Roman Puzzles

14. Other Roman Games

    • Bocce:
      • Known today as Bocce in Italy, Boules or Petanque in France.
      • In order to win, players must throw or roll their balls as close as possible to a smaller ball or ‘Jack.
    • Catoptric Cistula
      • The Catoptric Cistula meant ‘Mirror Theatre’ and was a very popular entertainment in Ancient Rome.
      • When an object is placed inside the box, viewers peep through a hole and see either hundreds of objects, or deformed or magnified images.
      • The Kaleidoscope is a modern equivalent to the Catoptric Cistula.
    • Roman Jokes
      • A book called the ‘Philogelos’, meaning the ‘love of laughter’, holds a collection of 265 Roman jokes from the 4th century CE.

15. Non-Roman Games

    • The Royal Game of Ur, also called the Game of Twenty Squares.
      • The game originated in Sumer during the 3rd millenium BCE.
    • Chess:
      • The game originated in India and was first mentioned in documents dating from the 7th century CE.

 

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