Rock Art Research

The game board for ‘nine men’s morris’ (merels) is found incised on horizontal rock surfaces at many places of the world. It was also used in inclined or vertical positions as a motif for petroglyphs on rocks and historic buildings. The possible meaning of such depictions is examined. After an investigation into merels games and game boards, the route of circle and square motifs from Eurasian and Egyptian symbolism into Christianity is reviewed. It seems that the Christian meaning of the square was transferred to the merels board and, together with other elements, was used in folk art for Christian magic. Some merels boards can be explained this way, the meaning of others remains speculative. This interpretation is restricted to the Christian domain, in other parts of the world, for example in the case of a tombstone from Pendžikent (Tadžikistan), the meaning remains nebulous.