For ancient Romans, many of the gestures now associated with Valentine’s Day would be unfamiliar, if not completely puzzling. Love and desire were not confined to a single day, nor expressed through standardised tokens of romance. There were no cards written (or forgotten), flowers purchased (at inflated prices) or eateries teaming with lovers. Instead, intimacy was negotiated through daily social encounters, leisure activities and moments of shared experience.

Ancient evidence – texts, art, and material remains – show that games were everywhere in the Roman world. We’ve been studying ancient board games together since 2018 and our work has found that games brought ancient people together in many different situations, including ones that encouraged closeness, flirtatious competition and prolonged interaction. Often these games, played with simple equipment, could be deeply meaningful and memorable for those who played together.

Roman games included games of strategy played without dice, such as ludus latrunculorum (“the game of the little soldiers”). They also played games which mixed skill and chance by using dice (even though playing dice games was often prohibited by law, like ludus duodecim scriptorum (“the game of 12 lines”), an ancestor of modern backgammon.

There are lessons to be learnt from ancient approaches to these love games. Today, people who are dating report dissatisfying or even dangerous gaps between romantic expectations and reality, as apps and screens compress intimacy into emojis or fleeting swipes.

The 1st-century Roman poet, Ovid, explains the importance of play for attracting and keeping a lover in his poetic manual, The Art of Love. One of his top tips is to play boardgames, and, importantly, to play to lose.

Ovid tells men: “If she is gaming and throwing the ivory dice with her hand, throw amiss and move your throws amiss”. In other words, try and play badly, so that the girl you are trying to charm wins.

Ovid also suggests that a woman in search of a lover should learn how to play, and “should know the throws of the dice, and your powers, O flung counter”, as knowledge of gaming with dice and counters was a key skill for hopeful lovers.

Playing for love, according to Ovid, is never purely about winning: it is about connection, attention, and spending time together.

You can see the ways that people in the ancient world used games to flirt in images too. A bronze mirror from Praeneste (modern Palestrina), an Italian town outside Rome and probably dating to the 2nd or 3rd century BC, shows a young couple sitting close together and wearing rather limited clothing while playing a board game. This game is possibly a larger variant of a dice-based one known as pente grammai (five lines), in which players compete to position their pieces on the centre-most line.

To help us understand how much the game is bringing them together, there is a useful dialogue above their heads. She’s saying something like, “I shall beat you,” to which he replies flirtatiously, “I expect you will.” So, the game is less about winning than about what happens around it: the proximity, the banter, and the shared moment of play that brings the couple together.

Returning to the present day, board games offer a striking counterpoint to many of today’s expressions of intimacy. Unlike digital forms of interaction, board games require presence: players gather around a shared surface, negotiate rules, take turns, and respond to one another spontaneously.

Board games structure attention and time, encouraging sustained engagement rather than fleeting exchange, and create opportunities for conversation, competition, and collaboration. In doing so, they bring people together in a shared social experience – one that foregrounds presence, interaction, and mutual awareness.

As is often the case, experience brings the theory to life. For eight years we have been researching ancient board games, so in a different way they brought us together. Somewhere along the line, we got married. Perhaps the Romans were on to something, after all.

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It was revealed earlier this month that fashion retailer Quiz was going into administration.

The company put 109 job roles at risk at its Glasgow head office and Lanarkshire warehouse, as well as closing its online store.

Now, its administrators have said that clearance discounts will now take place.

UK fashion retailer Quiz has clearance sales at all stores

Alistair McAlinden and Geoff Jacobs from Interpath were appointed joint administrators on February 5.

Mr McAlinden, head of Interpath, said in a new update: “Since our appointment on February 5, trading across the Quiz store portfolio has been extremely positive.

“We’d like to advise customers that all 40 stores remain open, and we will now be commencing additional clearance discounts across all remaining stock.

“We’d like to give our huge thanks to Quiz’s team of dedicated employees and its loyal customers for their tireless support since our appointment.”

Mr Jacobs, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator, added: “We also urge any remaining parties with an interest in acquiring the stock, store operations and infrastructure of Quiz to contact us as soon as possible.”

When the administrators were appointed, Quiz’s online store closed immediately.

A message on the website says: “We regret to tell you that Quiz is currently offline. Our stores will remain open for a period of time. We are grateful to everyone that has supported us over the years.”

Founded in Scotland in 1993, high street fashion retailer Quiz has 40 stores across the UK and seven concessions across the Republic of Ireland.

Can you still return items bought from Quiz?

If a purchase was made through the Quiz website before February 5, returns cannot be made online.

Customers are advised to go to their nearest Quiz store, where a replacement or substitute item(s) equal to or less than the value of the original purchase can be provided.

Quiz will not issue refunds if you have returned an item via the website but have not yet received a refund. Instead, customers should contact the provider of the credit or debit card which was used for payment and seek assistance.

Online orders from the website not yet dispatched will not be fulfilled, but customers should not have been charged for these items, as payment is taken upon dispatch.

Anything bought in-store on or after February 5 will be “sold as seen”, and returns can only be accepted if faulty.

Customers have also been advised that no cash or card refunds will be provided and that gift cards and credit notes are now unable to be honoured.

Are you sad to potentially see Quiz shut down? Let us know in the comments.

Home and Away stars James Stewart has got down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend of two years and co-star Ada Nicodemou

A real-life soap couple have shared the sweet news that they are engaged. The Home and Away couple revealed the lovely update with a gushing social media post as they showed off the huge engagement ring.

Soap star James Stewart, 50, got down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend of two years and co-star Ada Nicodemou, 48. And much to his delight she said yes.

A clip of the proposal was shared by James on his Instagram as the actor popped the question on Valentine’s Day. He is seen kneeling by a tree wearing a suit and shirt, while his now-fiancee stunned in a red bodycon dress.

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Her excitement was clear – as was that of the crowd watching as cheers were heard in the clip as Ada kissed her soon-to-be husband. The happy onlookers then came in to shot as they walked over to congratulate the couple and to admire Ada’s stunning diamond ring.

James then picked his partner up in his arms as the duo shared another passionate kiss. James captioned his upload: “She said yes.” He also included a sparkle emoji.

And followers were keen to send congratulatory messages on the loved-up post. Among those sending messages was co-star Lynne McGranger who gushed: “So so happy for you both darling!! Wishing you both every happiness under heaven!! Hope to catch up soon and check out the rock.”

The official Home and Away page also got involved, writing: “Of course she said yes!! BIG congrats.” And transformation coach Kyly Clarke said: “Omg I’m crying! Worlds biggest congratulations. you beautiful couple.”

“THE BEST,” wrote television presenter Liz Cantor. And another excited fan exclaimed: ““Aww my gosh this is the most epic Home and Away wedding EVER!!! Yesss congratulations.”

James and Ada were first linked in 2024. They were caught kissing on Anzac Day. Ada later confirmed the romance while speaking to Mamamia’s No Filter podcast. “I figured I didn’t need to tell anyone else,” she said after admitting she had kept their pairing under wraps. “We didn’t need a group email, people just worked it out.”

It won’t be James’ first marriage to a co-star. He had previously been married to fellow star Sarah Roberts. However, the couple split as Sarah described their relationship by saying it “wasn’t healthy”.

Explaining dealing with their public breakup, Sarah said last year: “Dealing with it in the spotlight, and then everything that came out in the media after, absolutely ripped my heart into a million little pieces.

“But I can’t change anyone else’s actions or the way people behave. What I can take responsibility for is the way that I feel.”

She too has since moved on in love. Speaking on the Stellar’s Something to Talk About podcast in June, she said: “I’ve fallen in love with a man, I’m so in love. I finally found myself, as clichéd as that may sound.”

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Emergency services raced to the incident at 12.05pm on Valentine’s Day.

A man is in hospital after an alleged stabbing in Airdrie.

Emergency services raced to the North Lanarkshire town’s South Bridge Street after receiving reports of a serious assault at 12.05pm on Valentine’s Day. Crews attended and a man was found injured.

He was taken to hospital for treatment, where his current condition is unknown. Police confirmed a 35-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection.

He is due to appear at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Monday, February 16. Images taken from the scene show the area taped off following the alleged street attack.

The cordon stretched around a barber’s shop as uniformed officers stood guard. Multiple cop vehicles were pictured in attendance.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 12.05pm on Saturday, 14 February, 2026, we were called to a report of a serious assault on a man in the South Bridge Street area of Airdrie.

“Emergency services attended and he was taken to hospital for treatment.

“A 35-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection. He is due to appear at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Monday, 16 February, 2026.”