Ars Amatoria
The τάβλη of Zeno's time is believed to be a direct descendant of the earlier ancient Roman "Ludus duodecim scriptorum" ("game of twelve lines" or, better, "game of twelve signs") with that board's middle row of points removed, and only the two outer rows remaining. Ludus duodecim scriptorum used a board with three rows of 12 points each, and the pieces were moved across all three rows according to the roll of three dice. The earliest known mention of the game is in Ovid's "Ars Amatoria" ("The Art of Love") (written between 1 BC and 8 AD).