Ancient Roman, Empire Bone dice - Ancient Roman legionary bone gaming dice - 12 mm (No reserve price)

The second century AD was a flourishing time for the Romans in the Netherlands. The limes, the Roman border that ran along the great rivers, was for the most part secured and only needed to be watched. To guard a border that stretched across the Netherlands from Germany to the North Sea, you needed many soldiers. A river is a natural border, which is both hard to cross and easier to defend. Many Dutch cities, such as Utrecht, Nijmegen and Leiden, owe their origins to the Roman limes. Along this border numerous forts (castella) and army camps (castra) were established.
These settlements primarily served to protect the borders; they also provided space for trade. Trade took place between the different limes settlements, usually via the river. The Romans also conducted trade with the indigenous tribes on the other side of the border. The Romans did not exist in a constant state of war with their 'barbarian' neighbors, and peaceful contact was certainly possible. With many striking watchtowers, the limes functioned more as a delineation and, hopefully, a deterrence than an impenetrable barrier.
In the second century AD it was quite quiet in the southern part of the Netherlands (the province of Germania Inferior). Soldiers in the army camps, forts, and watchtowers must have sometimes been terribly bored. The Roman commanders often kept the soldiers busy with cooking, cleaning, and gymnastic exercises. After a while, of course, you grow tired of that. One of the things Romans soldiers were clever at was finding distractions. They were known for loving dice, gambling, and other games of chance. They often challenged each other to stake money or other possessions. That quickly makes a game exciting!
In several places where Roman settlements once stood, remains of games have been found. Many of these games are still familiar to us today. A beautiful example are these dice, on display at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) in Leiden. The dice found did not look much different from our dice. There are even examples of dice that were weighted on one side, so the chance of landing on six was very high! Fortuna—the goddess of luck, chance, and fate—would hardly have been pleased with that.
Size: 12 x 12 x 11 mm
Weight: 2.62 grams
Material: bone
Condition: excellent, a very fine die that is actually even more beautiful in person.

Shipping method: this lot will be excellently packaged and shipped via DHL or DPD using Catawiki’s smart shipping."}