Ancient Roman, Empire Bone dice - Ancient Roman legionary bone gaming dice - 13 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, had to some extent been secured and needed only to be guarded. To guard a border that stretched throughout the Netherlands from Germany to the North Sea, you needed many soldiers. A river is a natural border, difficult to cross but easier to defend. Many Dutch towns, such as Utrecht, Nijmegen and Leiden, trace their origins to the Roman limes. Along this border many forts (castella) and military camps (castra) were established.

These settlements primarily served to protect the borders; they also provided space for trade. Trade took place between the various limes settlements, usually via the river. The Romans also conducted trade with the native tribes on the other side of the border. The Romans were not in a constant state of war with their ‘barbarian’ neighbors, and peaceful contact was certainly possible. With many impressive watchtowers, the limes functioned more as a boundary and, hopefully, deterrence, than an impenetrable barrier.

In the second century AD it was fairly quiet in the southern part of the Netherlands (the province Germania Inferior). The soldiers in the army camps, forts and watchtowers must have been terribly bored at times. The Roman commanders kept the soldiers busy with cooking, cleaning and gymnastics. Of course, you would eventually get tired of that. One of the things Roman soldiers were clever at was finding ways to amuse themselves. They were known for loving dice games, gambling and other games of chance. They would often challenge each other to stake money or other possessions. That quickly makes a game exciting!

In several places where Roman settlements once stood, remnants of games have been found. Many of these games are still known to us today. A fine example are these dice, on display at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden 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 about that.

Dimensions: 13 x 13 x 12 mm
Weight: 3.60 grams
Material: bone / bone

Condition: excellent, a very fine die that is even more beautiful in person.

Shipping method: this lot will be carefully packaged and shipped via DHL or DPD using Catawiki's Smart Shipping.