Researchers Use AI To Identify Ancient Gameboard

Researchers led by Walter Crist at Leiden University published today in Antiquity reporting they used AI-driven simulated play to test whether an oval stone from Coriovallum (a Roman town in the modern Netherlands) is a game board. The simulations matched blocking-game mechanics as the best fit for the uneven abrasion patterns, supporting the board-game identification and suggesting blocking games may have existed in Europe centuries earlier than previously documented.