Faience polyhedron inscribed with letters of the Greek alphabet, Roman, 2nd3rd century C.E.
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Faience polyhedron inscribed with letters of the Greek alphabet, Roman, 2nd–3rd century C.E. (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain)This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met may earn an affiliate commission. Please readour disclosurefor more info.
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Diceand their attendant games of chancehave an ancient history.
Dice probably originated with marked knucklebones which were used to cast lots and interpret the divine.
Twenty-sided die (icosahedron) with faces inscribed with Greek letters, Ptolemaic Period – Roman Period,2nd century B.C. – 4th century A.D. (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain)
Polyhedral dice include the standard six-face die.
As the number of sides increases, the die begins to appear closer to a sphere.
Each triangular facet bore an inscription.Greek letterswere common, even in the Roman period.
Stone dice with facets inscribed alpha to upsilon from the Roman Imperial period. (Photo:© The Trustees of the British Museum,CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Roman numerals also appear, and anEgyptian diewas reported with the names of deities.
The exact use of icosahedron dice is still rather obscure.
Casting the die determined what part of an oracle to consult.
Faceted dice made of green stone, inscribed with Roman numerals, 2st or 2nd century C.E. (Photo:© The Trustees of the British Museum,CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Oracles were usually priestesses who were believed to interpret or speak for the gods.
Their sayings were often written down and could be consulted by those seeking wisdom or prophecy.
To try your hand, check out thisoracle generator.
A rock crystal fourteen-sided bead (with hole) in the form of a pentagondodekahedra dice, from the Roman Imperial period in Egypt. (Photo:© The Trustees of the British Museum,CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Roll each of the three dice to receive ancient wisdom.
Use them for your own divination or for the popular game Dungeons and Dragons.
Twenty-sided die (icosahedron) with faces inscribed with Greek letters, Ptolemaic Period Roman Period,2nd century B.C.
Rock crystal dice, marked one to six, Roman Imperial period.(Photo:© The Trustees of the British Museum,CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Stone dice with facets inscribed alpha to upsilon from the Roman Imperial period.
Faceted dice made of green stone, inscribed with Roman numerals, 2st or 2nd century C.E.
(Photo: The Trustees of the British Museum,CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Intrigant, n’est-ce pas ?
