About Ludus Coriovalli
Ludus Coriovalli is an asymmetric strategy board game from ancient Rome, in which four Hounds attempt to block two Hares from moving. It was lost to history for over 1,800 years, until researchers used AI to reconstruct its rules from physical traces on a carved stone.
The Discovery
The story begins with a mysterious stone (Object 04433) held in Het Romeins Museum in Heerlen, the Netherlands. A worked piece of white Jurassic limestone (212 × 145 × 71 mm, 3.38 kg), its surface bears incised geometric patterns with wear marks consistent with centuries of game play.
Coriovallum — A Roman Town
Coriovallum was a Roman town in Germania Inferior, founded under Emperor Augustus and inhabited until AD 476. At its peak it covered over 48 hectares and was a major centre for Roman pottery production.
AI-Driven Rule Reconstruction
Using the Ludii General Game System with Alpha-Beta search agents, researchers ran 1,000 simulated rounds per ruleset. Nine configurations matched the physical wear patterns — all blocking games, with the four-versus-two format most frequently matched.
Historical Connections
Similar blocking games have been found as graffiti on Roman-era surfaces across Europe, and the distinctive haretavl board pattern appears on artefacts from 14th-century Latvia and 10th-11th century Dublin.
Academic Reference
Crist, W., et al. (2025). Ludus Coriovalli: using artificial intelligence-driven simulations to identify rules for an ancient board game. Antiquity, 100(409). doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10264