Playing with the Past: Reconstructing Ancient Games

The workshop will be run by board game historian Jacob Schmidt-Madsen together with one or more assistants. It will begin with a shared introduction to the field of historical game studies and the challenges scholars face when trying to understand how ancient games were actually played. This will be followed by a brief presentation of 4-5 games that we no longer know how to play and, in some cases, cannot even be sure were ever used as games.

The participants will then be split into smaller groups, each of which will be assigned one of the games and tasked with reconstructing its rules. At their disposal they will have a physical replica of the game and a folder with circumstantial evidence in the form of textual passages, visual depictions, and information on other games and game mechanics from the same region and period. The goal is not only to reconstruct the rules of play, but also to reflect on the social context and function of the game as well as any symbolic or representational value it might have had.

At the end of the workshop, the groups will present their reconstructions to each other and reflect on how they arrived at them. They will receive feedback on their ideas and suggestions and also have a chance to invite people from other groups to play their games. Paper printouts of gameboards and simple wooden components will not only aid the participants in developing and testing their reconstructions, but will also allow them to take home a copy of their game and introduce it to the people around them.

The participants will be working in small teams to reconstruct ancient games. They will be manipulating physical game components, such as boards, dice, and pawns, and consulting evidence folders with textual, visual, and ludic material. The experience will be akin to puzzling out a solution to a M**der mystery and will demonstrate how the act of reconstructing games is in itself a form of play. Groups will also have to present their findings to the other groups, though this will happen in a casual format under the supervision of a subject expert to make sure that everybody feels included and remains comfortable throughout.

The workshop will be in English.

Also check out other Workshops in Berlin.