3D-Printed Replica of Roman Game Board from Vindolanda Brings Ancient Ludus Latrunculorum to Life

Researchers at Newcastle University have used a handheld Artec 3D Spider scanner to create a virtual model of a stone game board for Ludus Latrunculorum, discovered in 2019 at Vindolanda near Hadrian's Wall. The board was found split into five pieces between a bathhouse drain and workshop wall, beside a third-century road, and had been repurposed as a flagstone. The replica, printed in polylactic acid plastic, will be available for play at the Roman Army Museum. The original board is on loan to Toronto's Bata Shoe Museum. Vindolanda, a Roman fort and town occupied from roughly 85 C.E. to 200 C.E., has yielded over a dozen Ludus Latrunculorum sets, suggesting civilians—including women and children—played the game, not just soldiers. No definitive rules survive, but ancient writings describe it as resembling checkers, with two players trapping opponents' pieces. Sophie Westlake of the Vindolanda Trust noted the scanning process allowed realistic recreation of a complex historical artifact. The Vindolanda Charitable Trust plans future research on social aspects of gaming in the community.