Ludus duodecim scriptorum, orXII scripta, was a board game popular during the time of theRoman Empire. The name translates as "game of twelve markings", probably referring to the three rows of 12 markings each found on most surviving boards. The gametabula is thought to be a descendant of this game, and both aretables games as is modernbackgammon.[1]
It has been speculated that XII scripta is related to theEgyptian gamesenet.[2] A factor casting doubt on this link is that the latest known classical senet board is over half of a millennium older than the earliest known XII scripta board.
Very little information about specific gameplay has survived. The game was played using three cubicdice, and each player had 15 pieces. A possible "beginners' board", having spaces marked with letters, has suggested a possible path for the movement of pieces.[1]
The earliest known mention of the game is inOvid'sArs Amatoria (The Art of Love) (written between 1 BC and 8 AD). An ancient example of the game was excavated at the archaeological site of Kibyra in southern Turkey.[3]
Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum seems to have developed from the gameSenet.
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| Games of contrary movement | ||
| Games without movement | ||
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