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Gambling in ancient Rome and Greece
Introduction: Two Civilizations - Two Styles of Risk
The Greek world associated the game with celebration, poetry and communication on the symptoms; Rome - with the practice of betting, legal restrictions and household leisure in baths, taverns and on the streets. Both cultures left a powerful legacy for Europe, from terms ("alea") to formats (dice, board "races," military strategies on the board).
Greece: simposia, bones and "intellectual" boards
Astragans and bones
Astragans (bones of animal joints) and cubes were thrown on the symptoms. The results served as a game, and a reason for jokes, toasts, mini-bets - from wine to small jewelry. In urban life, the game "on small" killed time in workshops, yards and at the berths.
Petteia and "warrior games"
Petteia is a strategic board with "pebbles/chips," where the goal is to surround and "capture" enemy figures. This is the prototype of military abstract games: less randomness, more tactics. She was loved by educated citizens - as a trainer of reason and argument.
Kottabos and "social mettle"
Kottabos was practiced at revels - throwing wine residues at the target. The game united dexterity, luck and social performance: the winners gained the glory of the evening, the debaters - the theme for the epigrams.
Sports betting and racing
Greek cities lived in competitions: athletics, running chariots. Betting was informal, often an "honor" of sorts or gymnasia. Among the people - small bets on the outcome of races and fights; the nobility has reputational stakes and sponsorship of athletes.
Morality and philosophy
Plato and other thinkers were suspicious of "games for profit," but distinguished between moderate leisure and destructive excitement. Ethical ideal - measure and self-control: the game is permissible if they do not harm the house, craft and policy.
Law and life
Cities imposed local restrictions on noisy gatherings and money games near temples and squares. Officials could disperse "night" parties, fine taverns where the game turned into fights. On holidays, attitudes softened.
Rome: "alea," tabernae and pendulum of prohibitions
Alea - throws as a symbol of luck
The word "alea" has become synonymous with gambling. Bones (tesserae) were thrown in houses, shops, baths, in the stands of the circus. There were "honest" bones and forgeries; played coins, things, sometimes services. The expression "lot cast" is a Roman metaphor for determination and risk.
Tabula and "relatives" backgammon
Tabula is a racing board with moving chips by lot: fast, gambling, convenient for betting. Variations made it possible to play "for a while" or "for a brand," and the owner of the establishment could take a "commission" - an early "house edge."
Ludus latrunculorum - "game of robbers"
A strategic game where "warriors" (latrunculi) capture each other with their surroundings. She was appreciated by the military and officials: she trains calculation and attention. Excitement here in betting on the outcome of the game between the "strong players."
Where they played
Terms: after bathing - a batch in dice or tabula, a bet on small amounts.
Taverns (tabernae, popinae): noise, wine, quick throws; the owner kept order and the "commission."
Streets and porticoes: makeshift boards scratched onto a stone.
Military camps: soldiers whiled away their leisure time with bones, making symbolic bets.
Laws and morals
Officially, money games were often restricted or banned outside the holidays. Exceptions were allowed for major holidays (like Saturnalia), when the "social pair" was deliberately released: masks, role exchange, generosity and - yes - play. Moralists decried time wasting and debt scandals; magistrates could fine and close "bad" dens. But everyday tolerance was great: "do not advertise - and play moderately."
Women, slaves, status
The public game of women was considered a violation of decency, although in private houses home parties were allowed "for little." Slaves played by permission of the owners; winnings sometimes went to "general needs" at home. The social hierarchy was visible even at the table.
Religion and symbolism: Tühe and Fortune
The Greeks talked about Tyukh (luck), the Romans about Fortune. Temples of fortune stood in busy places: people brought gifts "for a happy hand." On holidays, the game became a ritual of a favorable start to the year/season, but priests and moralists warned: excess is the path to the disintegration of the family and civic duties.
Leisure economy: production, commission, "black market"
Craftsmen made bones from bone, bronze, ivory, glass; boards - made of wood and stone. Taverns made money from food, wine and a small "table fee" or interest from a bank. There were also "charged" bones, against which they fought with checks and denunciations.
Mechanics and player behavior
Fast random + minimal rules: bones and tabula are easy to explain to beginners.
Social scene: witnesses, jokes, toasts - driver of involvement.
Small bets, frequent repetitions: psychologically comfortable, but at a long distance the "house" or an experienced opponent wins.
Ethics of measure: moderation and "pure play" were encouraged, debts and fraud were condemned.
Betting on spectacles
In Greek policies and Roman cities, they supported athletes, chariots, and later gladiators. Formal sweepstakes were not institutionalized, but household bets flourished: neighbors argued, artisans kept a "small stake" on their favorite chariot faction, cartridges played "reputational" games among themselves.
Comparison: Greece vs Rome
Context: Greece - symposia and palestra; Rome - terms and tabernae.
Accent: Greeks - more "talking games" and strategy; Romans - throws, speed and legal control.
Mores: both cultures recognized the game as part of leisure, but demanded measure; the difference is in the severity of household restrictions and the volume of minor prohibitions.
Heritage: terms, mechanics, social codes of the game formed the basis of the European tradition of leisure and gambling practices.
Chronology (simplified)
Classical Greece: simposii, astragani, petteia; household sports betting.
Hellenism: variety of urban games, distribution of board and bones in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Early Rome: alea as everyday leisure; legal attempts to limit the game.
Late Republic - Empire: The Rise of Tabula and Street Gaming; household tolerance during periodic campaigns against excesses; "holiday licence" (especially Saturnalia).
Myths and neatness
"Romans played legally always and everywhere." No: restrictions were in place, especially outside the holidays; penalties ranged from fines to closing establishments.
"The Greeks played only for the sake of art." Wrong: simposia is wine, jokes, and bets; the "moderate excitement" format was simply appreciated.
"Women were strictly forbidden." Norms of decency limited public play, but private house parties existed, especially in holidays and family circles.
Glossary
Alea is a common Roman designation for gambling, more commonly dice.
Tabula is a racing board with chips, the ancestor of the "nard" mechanics.
Ludus latrunculorum is a strategic "war" game with surrounding figures.
Astragaloi - astragans (bones), used as lots and "bones."
Sympathy is a Greek feast with poetry, music and games.
Saturnalia is a Roman holiday with indulgences in morals and games.
Conclusion: European school of fortune
The Greeks taught Europe to turn the game into "conversation and measure," the Romans into "rule and order." Together they formed a habit of fair throws, simple bets and a social scene around the table. Since then, excitement in European culture is not only a risk, but also a performance, a rule, an honor, and, of course, pleasure - subject to measure.
Continuation ideas on your site
"From petteia to chess and go: a genealogy of strategic board games"
"Saturnalia as a Social Valve: Why Holidays Legalize the Game"
"Taverns and Baths: An Economic Model of Leisure in Rome"
"Astragans and Cubes: How the Mathematics of Chance Was Born in the Ancient Mediterranean"