Ancient tactics, modern plastics: UK team 3-D prints Roman-era board game
In the United Kingdom, archaeologists and engineers have collaborated to create a 3D-printed replica of the Roman board game Ludus Latrunculorum using polylactic acid bioplastic filament.
The team was comprised of researchers from Newcastle University and Vindolanda, a Roman auxiliary fort in Northern England that excavated the replicated game board in 2019. Similar to chess, Ludus Latrunculorum consists of players moving pieces across a grid to trap and capture their opponent’s soldiers. Victory comes from outmaneuvering the other player until their pieces were captured or immobilized.
Visitors to The Roman Army Museum can actually play the game on the reproduced board.
“It was amazing to be involved in the actual scanning process and to see something so complex and historical be realistically recreated,” Sophie Westlake, Activity and Diversity Officer at Vindolanda Charitable Trust, told Voxel Matters. “It will be very beneficial for the Vindolanda Trust to have a replica Roman game board and 3D interactive model, both whilst the original Roman board is on loan and to create a more engaging, tactile experience for the visitor.”
Category: Chemicals & Materials
