Ground billiards
Ground billiards is a modern term for a family of medieval European lawn games, the original names of which are mostly unknown, played with a long-handled mallet (the mace), wooden balls, a hoop (the pass), and an upright skittle or pin (the king). The game, which cue-sports historians have called "the original game of billiards",: 117 developed into a variety of modern outdoor and indoor games and sports such as croquet, pool, snooker, and carom billiards. Its relationship to games played on larger fields, such as hockey, golf, and bat-and-ball games, is more speculative. As a broader classification, the term is sometimes applied to games dating back to classical antiquity that are attested via difficult-to-interpret ancient artworks and rare surviving gaming artifacts.
Ground billiards in 15th-century France (1480 woodcut, based on the Saint-Lô Tapestry). This version uses a port (arch) and conical king pin, is bounded by a wicker railing, and appears to make use of one ball per player, with more than two players. | |
| First played | 14th–15th century Europe |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | No |
| Team members | Single opponents shown in illustrations; doubles or teams mentioned in 1674 indoor rules |
| Mixed-sex | Yes |
| Type | Outdoor and possibly indoor |
| Equipment | Ball, mallet/mace, hoop, king pin |
| Venue | Lawn or court |
| Presence | |
| Obsolete | Yes |