Polis (board game)

Polis, also known as Petteia, was an ancient Greek board game and one of the earliest known strategy games and wargames in the historical record. Its original rules have survived only in fragments, but the partial descriptions that remain describe a game that resembles checkers, played on a gridded board with pieces captured through a flanking or displacement mechanic. References to the game appear in Ancient Greek literature from roughly 450 BC through the second century BC, and it appears to have been widely known across the Greek world, especially in Athens. Several Ancient Greek philosophers mention learning Polis as part of a broader philosophical education, suggesting the game carried real cultural weight beyond simple entertainment, forming part of how a young citizen of a city-state was expected to be raised and educated.