Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A wonderful set of gaming dice, hand-carved from the bone of a cow or another ungulate. The planar sides of each die display a series of incised concentric circles with numbers ranging from one to six. Dice like these were used frequently as an impartial method of allocating goods as well as settling personal disputes, though they were primarily used for all manners of games. Gaming instruments like dice serve to highlight to universality of gaming across cultures and centuries. Just imagine the ancients tossing them to generate a random combination of numbers! Size (of largest): 0.4" L x 0.4" W x 0.4" H (1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm)
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Byblos Antiques, London, England, acquired from 1992 to 1993
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#167988
Condition
Both dice have age-commensurate surface wear, fading to some incised details, minor nicks to edges and corners, and some light discoloration. Otherwise, excellent with light earthen deposits.