Editing Ludus duodecim scriptorum (section)

{{Short description|Ancient Roman board game}}
[[Image:Xii scripta ephesus.jpg|300px|thumb|right|XII scripta board in the museum at [[Ephesus]]]]
[[File:Roman Game of 12 Lines Board - Aphrodisias.jpg|thumb|right|Roman board from the 2nd century, Aphrodisias]]

'''Ludus duodecim scriptorum''', or '''XII scripta''', was a board game popular during the time of the [[Roman 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 game [[tabula (game)|tabula]] is thought to be a descendant of this game, and both are [[tables games]] as is modern [[backgammon]].<ref name="austin-roman1">Austin, Roland G. "Roman Board Games. I", ''Greece & Rome'' 4:10, October 1934. pp. 24-34.</ref>

It has been speculated that XII scripta is related to the [[Egypt]]ian game [[senet]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hardyhuebener.de/engl/geschichte.html |title=Tabular History of Backgammon |access-date=2007-01-09 |last=Hübener |first=Hardy |work=Hardy's Backgammon Pages |quote=''Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum'' seems to have developed from the game ''Senet''.}}</ref>  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 cubic [[dice]], 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.<ref name="austin-roman1"/>

The earliest known mention of the game is in [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Ars 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-game-found-in-roman-era-city-74637|title=Ancient game found in Roman era city|website=Hürriyet Daily News|access-date=Aug 1, 2020}}</ref>