This object, often referred to as the Kugelspiel, is a Byzantine gambling machine from the begi
This object, often referred to as the Kugelspiel, is a Byzantine gambling machine from the beginning of the 6th century. Yes, you’ve read that right, medieval Greek/Romas had gambling machines. Apparently, those were quite popular and presented enough of a problem for Justinian I to ban them in 534. This particular machine was located at the hippodrome in Constantinople (hence the reliefs depicting horse racing scenes). The game was pretty straightforward - players would insert balls of various colors into the machine and the person whose ball was the first to emerge from the bottom opening would be the winner. The machine is on display in Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst (Bode-Museum) in Berlin. More info (in German) at SMB-digital. The photos are mine (they aren’t particularly good, but I have to take responsibility for the things I’ve made, I guess). -- source link
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