Roman Bone Single Die

£ 60.00

A single Roman six-sided die modelled in bone, known in Latin as tessera. Each side is incised with the appropriate number of circles, which consist of a large outer ring and small central circle.

Date: Circa 1st – 3rd century AD
Condition: Fine, with signs of ageing.

SOLD

Product Code: RES-127
Category:

Games involving dice were popular in Ancient Rome and included games where dice were used along with a board and pieces that required moving with the luck of the roll. Whilst gambling and gaming were only legal pastimes during the festival of Saturnalia in December, plenty of Romans partook in the activity during the year. From travelling soldiers at local taverns, to the wealthy elite and ruling class, the Romans were avid fans of playing dice games.

To discover more about gaming during the Roman period, please visit our relevant blog post: Roman Pastimes.

Dimensions L 1 cm
Material

Bone

Region

Western Europe

Reference: For a similar item, Christie’s, 7th October 2010, London, lot number 303.