Heads or tails.

[Hermes Trismegistus]

Did the Romans have and play any game like "Heads or tails"?




Thanks!!

 

[Notascooby]

The only vaguely similar things I can think of are:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0063:alphabetic+letter=P:entry+group=1:entry=par-impar-ludere-cn

And

A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), CABEI´RIA , CAMI´NUS , CAPITA AUT NAVIA

Neither seem to be exactly heads or tails though.

 

[cinefactus]

We learned about Capita aut Navia at school, but I can't find a reference for it.

 

[Hermes Trismegistus]

We learned about Capita aut Navia at school, but I can't find a reference for it.

Yup, no classical or any other attested reference, so where'd that 'capita aut navia' come from?

 

[Dantius]

It gives references in the entry Notascooby sent: Macr. 1.7, 22; Fest. s. v. Navia, p. 169 M. That means Macrobius's Saturnalia, 1.7.22 (you can see more of it quoted here) and Festus's epitome of Verrius Flaccus's De Verborum Significatu in the entry on Navia (not translated into English, as far as I know).

 

[cinefactus]

Found the latter:
From the notes. The reference at least couldn't have been written by Festus. Ut et ex lusu illo veterum quo pueri denarios in sublime iactantes capita aut navia clamabant, de quo Macrob. Saturn. lib. 1. cap.7. Dacerius