Locus Ludi is a five-year 2017-2022 research project on play and games in Graeco-Roman Antiquity sponsored and financed by the

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

Research Council (ERC) under the

Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The project is headed by Professor of Classical Studies

Véronique Dasen Véronique Dasen (born 1957) is a Swiss archaeologist and Professor in Classical Archaeology and Art History at the University of Fribourg. Her research is led in a multidisciplinary and anthropological perspective. Her research interests range fr ...

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius ...

, Switzerland.

Project Summary

The goal of project is to study the historical and anthropological dimension of

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

s and

toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

s in Antiquity. A team of researchers has been put in place in order to search all available primary sources such as literature, archaeological, and iconographic material relating to games and toys in antiquity. It is the first time this field is researched by a multidisciplinary team in Europe. The project is based at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, in the faculty of Art and Archaeology in

Classical Antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...

. Conferences and expositions are organised with the cooperation of European museums, such as

Swiss Museum of Games Located on the shore of Lake Geneva between the cities of Vevey and Montreux, the Swiss Museum of Games in La Tour-de-Peilz La Tour-de-Peilz () is a municipality in Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The city ...

at La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland, and

Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon-Fourvière Lugdunum, formerly known as the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon-Fourvière, is a museum of Roman Gaul, Gallo-Roman civilisation in Lyon (Roman Lugdunum). Previously presented at the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon and the Antiquarium, the municipal Gallo- ...

, France.{{Cite news, url=https://www.lepoint.fr/culture/quand-les-grecs-jouaient-aux-petits-chevaux-et-a-la-poupee-25-08-2019-2331503_3.php, title=Quand les Grecs jouaient aux " petits chevaux " et à la poupée..., last=Eschapasse, first=Baudouin, date=25 August 2019, work=Le Point, access-date=6 November 2019 The way people play evolves over time and this project intends to provide a point of reference by reconstructing this history in

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

, from the birth of the

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

, c. 800 BCE, to the Roman conquest in 146 BCE, and in the

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

world from the Republican age, c. 500 BCE, to the end of the

Western Roman Empire The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period fr ...

, c. 500 CE.

References

Resources

*
Locus Ludi: The Cultural Fabric of Play and Games in Classical Antiquity
European Research Council (Retrieved 11 November 2019) *Dasen V., Schädler U. (éd.), dossier « Jouer dans l’Antiquité. Identité et multiculturalité », ''Archimède. Archéologie et histoire ancienne,'' 6, 2019.

Switzerland History of games