The history of the dice

They represent the oldest form of gaming known. Dice have been found in some archaeological excavations dating back to 6000 BC even f the usual ones were found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 2000 BC. So their history is deeper than we have imagined.

What is interesting is that the dice appeared around the same times in different locations in cultures that couldn't and haven't met each other. They didn't develop gradually spreading from place to place. The outcome of a roll was more than a matter of luck it was considered that the gods determined it. They were rolled for important matters like choosing rulers, predicting the future and a way to divine inheritances and lands.

In ancient Rome the outcome of a throw was determined by Fortuna the daughter of Zeus and is no surprise that she is called Lady Luck in our times. The form and the material of the dice were different than the ones we use today. Fruit stones or sea shells were used in some cultures. In other cultures like Greek and Roman animal bones were used more exactly the sheep's anklebones. The Arabs use the term of rolling the bones when they refer to playing dice as knuckle bones is the same word they use for dice.

Their popularity increased only in the past few years even if they have such a long history. They represented the vital component of a very long and famous list of board games. Now online casinos or in electronic board games the electronic dice are used and they might some day replace the real ones. Most certain that some of the real ones will maintain as the satisfaction of rolling them can't be compared.