Where did the French children's game "Marelle" originate?

Ancient Origins of the Game of Hopscotch
The game of hopscotch, known to entertain children through the ages, has much older origins than is commonly believed. According to some accounts and institutions such as the Dale Countryside Museum, the origin of the game can potentially be traced back more than 2000 years, to the time of the Roman Empire. Although the image of a Roman soldier hopping on squares may seem unlikely, it seems that Roman legionaries practiced a form of exercise that may have been the origin of the modern game of hopscotch. Unlike the playful and colorful version that children indulge in today, Roman soldiers performed these exercises in full armor, certainly making them less fun for rather belligerent physical training purposes.

These physical trainings, although very far from the current concept, may have inspired the observant children of the time. These curious young people then drew a miniature version of this exercise, giving rise to an early form of the game of hopscotch. Thus, the transition from Roman soldier exercises to a child's game probably took place over a period of several centuries until it developed into a playful activity practiced by generations of children around the world.