Excursus III - The Social Games

Summary

WE must not omit to mention those games which were pursued, not only as a recreation, but also with the hope of gain. The game of hazard had become a most pernicious mania at Rome; and severe legal prohibitions could not prevent the ruin of the happiness and fortunes of many by private gambling with dice. They had also other and more innocent games, success in which depended wholly on the skill of the players, like the game of chess at the present day, and other table-games. We shall mention all these games, but the matter is so intricate, and the inquiry so intimately connected with that into the Grecian games, that we cannot treat upon it fully; but for a more detailed account the reader is referred to Becker's Antiquitates Plautinœ.

The older writings upon the subject by Bulenger, Meursius, Souter, Senftleben, Calcagnino, are to be found in Gronovii; Thes. Antt. Grœc. viii. Next come Salmas. on Vopisc. Procul, 13, 736; and Exercitt. ad Sol. p. 795; Rader on Mart. passim; Wernsdorf on Saleius Bass.; Wüstem. Pal. des Scaur.

In the game of dice, alea, two kinds of dice were used, tali or ἀσράγαλοι, and tesserœ or κύβοι. Herodotus (i. 94), ascribes the invention of the game to the Lydians; but Athenæus (i. 19), cites anterior instances of it. Nitzsch Anm. zu Hom. Odyss. i. p. 27.