y mentions a game of the former class, and names Palamedes as
its inventor; of the exact nature of this game we know little or
nothing. Neither are we informed of the details of another kind of
petteia played with five little stones on a board divided by five
lines.

The so-called "game of cities" seems to have resembled our chess or
draughts. The board was divided into five parts. Each player tried to
checkmate the other by the skillful use of his men. Games of hazard
with dice and astragaloi were most likely greater favorites with the
topers than the intellectual ones hitherto described. The number of
dice was at first three, afterwards two; the figures on the parallel
sides being 1 and 6, 2 and 5, 3 and 4. In order to prevent cheating,
they were cast from conical beakers, the interior of which was formed
into different steps. Each cast had its name, sixty-four of which have
been transmitted to us by the grammarians. The luckiest cast, each of
the dice showing the figure 6, was called Aphrodite; the unluckiest,
the three dice showing the figure 1, had the names of "dog" or "wine"
applied to it.

Another game of a similar nature was played with the so-called
astragaloi, dice of a lengthy shape made of the knuckles of animals.
Two of the surfaces were flat, the third being raised, and the fourth
indented slightly. The last-mentioned side was marked 1, and had,
amongst many other names, that of "dog;" the opposite surface, marked
6. The Latin names of the two other sides marked 3 and 4 were _suppus_
and _planus_ respectively. The figures 2 and 5 were wanting on the
astragaloi, the narrow end-surfaces not being counted. The number of
astragaloi used was always four, being the same as in the game of
dice. Here also the luckiest cast was called Aphrodite, with which at
the same time the honor of king-of-the-feast was connected.

Young girls liked to play at a game with five astragaloi, or little
stones, which were thrown into the air and caught on the upper surface
of the hand. This game is still in use in many countries. We possess
many antique representations of these various games.

Two vase paintings show soldiers playing at draughts. Astragaloi and
dice of different sizes, some with the figures as above described on
them, others evidently counterfeited, are preserved in several
museums. Of larger representations we mention the marble statue of a
girl playing with astragaloi in the Berlin Museum, and a Pompeian
wal