Greeks, Etruscans, and Celts at play

With the Etruscan expansion to the Po Valley in the second half of the 6th century BC the Etruria Padana became an area of intercultural exchange between Greece in the East, the Celtic world in the North and West, and central Etruria and other Italian peoples in the south. The Etruscan population welcomed not only Greek goods but also adopted elements of Greek culture and lifestyle – including games. Since the second half of the 5th century, a century before the Celtic expansion to Northern Italy, people of Celtic origin installed themselves in the region and, to judge from the burial customs, apparently got well integrated into Etruscan society. In Etruscan and Celtic graves such as those around Bologna and Spina near Ferrara gaming material such as dice, counters, pebbles, and cowries has been found in great quantities. As far as the history of games is concerned this material may add to a better understanding not only of the games played by the Etruscans of the Certosa period, but also of the possible adoption of Greek games in the Po Valley and their transmission to the Celtic world.