Scientists believe mysterious stone spheres found at ancient archaeological sites in the Mediterranean and Aegean may be playing pieces from one of the first-ever board games.
The experts – from Bristol University – believe the spheres may have been sling stones, tossing balls, a counting or record-keeping system, or counters or pawns.
Their study – recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports – looked at common features shared by 700 stones aged 3,600 to 4,500 years old and found at the Bronze Age settlement of Akrotiri on Santorini.
The stones – smaller than golf balls – have different hues and are made of distinct materials.
In Akrotiri and other Aegean sites, the archaeologists also found stone slabs with shallow cup marks where the spheres may have been placed.
Dr Christianne Fernee – co-author of the study – said: “The most important finding of the study is that the spheres fit two major clusters (one of smaller and one of larger stones).
“This supports the hypothesis that they were used as counters for a board game with the spheres most possibly have been collected to fit these clusters rather than a counting system for which you would expect more groupings.”
If the spheres are part of a board game they would be one of the earliest ever examples found, dating from around the same time as the Mehen and Senet games from Ancient Egypt.
Co-author Dr Konstantinos Trimmis said: “The social importance of the spheres, as indicated by the way they were deposited in specific cavities, further supports the idea of the spheres being part of a game that was played for social interaction.
“This gives a new insight into the social interaction in the Bronze Age Aegean.”
The researchers now hope to use AI techniques to determine how the game could have been played.
(Konstantinos Trimmis/Newsflash)
(Konstantinos Trimmis/Newsflash)
The article’s summary reads: “Across the Bronze Age Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, various small spherical lithic artefacts have been discovered.
“The exact use of such artefacts remains a mystery, possible interpretations suggest that they are a form of counting system or counters for board games.
“This paper examines the largest collection of such artefacts found in the area to-date, the 746 spheres from the prehistoric town of Akrotiri in the island of Thera (Santorini).
“After the spheres were assessed and traditional statistical analyses were applied, machine learning was employed to further examine clustering of the spheres and to suggest potential interpretations of their manufacture, use and deposition.
“The paper concludes with the suggestion that the workflow proposed here, for Akrotiri, can be used to examine patterns in similar artefact groups from the Easter Mediterranean and beyond.”
(Konstantinos Trimmis/Newsflash)
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