Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

Ancient Civilizations Had Game Nights Too!

Morten Ramstad, a researcher at the University of Bergen, Norway, and his team spotted one of the rare objects while unearthing the remains of an Early Iron Age (400-300 BC) burial site in Western Norway. Burying loved ones with basic necessities like ceramic pots and clothing, to ensure their 【1】 in the afterlife, was a fairly common tradition in ancient cultures. However, the families of some lucky individuals went a step further by 【2】 a board game for entertainment.

Though the game board was 【3】, the archeologists, who revealed their findings on April 5, 2020, managed to recover the dice(骰子)and 18 circular game pieces. Unlike the modern-day cubical(立体的)dice, which are 【4】 with a different number of dots from one to six on each face, the ancient game counter was square and had bulls-eye like 【5】, which indicated zero to five on each of its four faces. The researchers suspect it may have been 【6】 by the oldest-known board game — the “Game of Mercenaries”. The two-person strategy game, which dates back to the 3rd century BC, was believed to be similar to modern-day chess.

The archeologists, who also unearthed remains of pottery jars and a bronze needle at the burial site believe the game pieces indicate the dead was a wealthy individual. In ancient civilizations, board games were a status symbol, signifying the owner’s high social and economic 【7】. They indicated an individual’s intellectual ability and also proved he/she could afford to spend time on such activities.

“These are status objects that bear witness to 【8】 with the Roman Empire, where they liked to enjoy themselves with board games,” Ramstad said. “People who played games like this were from the upper class. The game showed that they had the time, profits, and ability to think strategically.”

The researchers planned to put the 【9】 game pieces in a museum as the discovery provides insights into Norway’s social structure during the Early Iron Age and gives some ideas of what tabletop 【10】 looked like during ancient times, at least for the upper class.