Stone spheres could be from Ancient Greek board game

Groups of spheres from Akrotiri
Photo Credit: Konstantinos Trimmis

Scientific Frontline: "At a Glance" Summary

• Main Discovery: Archaeologists from the University of Bristol have determined that mysterious stone spheres found in ancient Aegean settlements, specifically Akrotiri, are likely playing pieces from one of the earliest known board games.
• Methodology: The research team analyzed 700 stone spheres dating between 4,500 and 3,600 years old, examining specific features such as size, material, and color to identify usage patterns.
• Key Statistic: The analysis revealed that the stones consistently fit into two distinct size clusters (large and small), contradicting the multiple groupings that would be expected if they were used for a counting or record-keeping system.
• Context: This hypothesis aligns the artifacts with similar ancient board games from the Levant and Egypt, such as Mehen and Senet, replacing previous theories that the stones were used for slings or tossing.
• Significance: The specific deposition of the spheres in stone cavities (kernos) indicates they were objects of social importance, providing new evidence of social interaction and leisure in the Bronze Age Aegean.
• Future Application: Researchers plan to utilize artificial intelligence techniques to determine the actual gameplay mechanics and will apply clustering analysis to the associated stone slabs to verify the link.

Archaeologists from the University of Bristol have suggested that mysterious stone spheres found at various ancient settlements across the Aegean and Mediterranean could be playing pieces from one of the earliest ever board games.

There has been quite a lot of speculation around these spheres found at sites on Santorini, Crete, Cyprus, and other Greek Islands with theories around their use including being for some sort of sling stones, tossing balls, counting/record-keeping system or as counters/pawns.

Previous research by the same team from the University of Bristol indicated that there was variability in sphere size within specific clusters and collections of spheres. Following on from this the team wanted to explore potential patterning within these sphere concentrations, to help give an insight into their potential use.

The latest study published this week in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports by Drs Christianne Fernée and Konstantinos Trimmis from the University of Bristol’s Department of Anthropology and Archaeology examined common features on 700 stones – which range from around 4,500 to 3,600 years old – found at the Bronze Age town of Akrotiri on the island of Santorini.

The kernos (slab with cup marks) at the square of the House of the Benches and an interpretation of how the spheres could be associated
Credit: Konstantinos Trimmis

The stones, which are smaller than golf balls, are in various colours and made from different materials. The analysis put the stones into two groups of larger stones and smaller. In addition, in Akrotiri and in other settlements across the Aegean there are stone slabs with shallow cup marks where the spheres could have sat or been placed.

Dr Ferneé 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 these spheres are in-fact part of a board game, they will be one of the earliest examples, along with similar examples from the Levant and Egypt, such as the Egyptian Mehen and Senet.

Stone slabs with cup marks (kernos) and their Reflectance Transformation Imaging analysis
Photo Credit: Konstantinos Trimmis

Dr Trimmis added: “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 next stage of the research is to apply a similar methodology to the slabs to see if there is clustering in the cup marks and trying to associate the spheres and slabs together. The team also hope to use artificial intelligence techniques to determine how the game was actually played.

Published in journal: Journal of Archaeological Science Reports

Title: The rolling stones of Bronze Age Aegean: Applying machine learning to explore the use of lithic spheres from Akrotiri, Thera

Authors: Christianne L. Fernée, and Konstantinos P. Trimmis

Source/Credit: University of Bristol

Reference Number: arch093022_01

Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Contact Us