Ancient Roman, Empire horn / antler dice - Ancient Roman legionary horn gaming dice - 9 mm (No reserve price)

The second century AD was a flourishing period for the Romans in the Netherlands. The limes, the Roman border that ran along the great rivers, had to a certain extent been secured and only needed to be watched. To guard a border that stretched across the whole of the Netherlands from Germany to the North Sea, you needed many soldiers. A river is a natural border, difficult to cross but also easier to defend. Many Dutch cities, such as Utrecht, Nijmegen and Leiden, trace their origins to the Roman limes. Along this border numerous forts (castella) and military camps (castra) were established.

These settlements primarily served the protection of the borders, but they also provided space for trade. Trade took place between the different limes settlements, usually via the river. The Romans also traded 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 served more as a boundary and, hopefully, a deterrent, than an impenetrable barrier.

In the second century AD it was quite peaceful in the southern part of the Netherlands (the province of Germania Inferior). The soldiers in the military camps, forts and watchtowers must sometimes have been terribly bored. The Roman commanders often kept the soldiers busy with cooking, cleaning and gymnastic exercises. Of course, you eventually get tired of that. One of the things Romans soldiers were clever at was finding diversions. They were known for loving dice games, gambling, and other games of chance. They often challenged each other to stake money or other possessions. A game becomes quickly exciting that way!

In several places where Roman settlements once stood, remnants of games have been found. Many of these games are still familiar to us today. A fine example are these dice, seen in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. The found dice looked not much different from our dice. There are even examples of dice that were weighted on one side, so the odds of landing on six were very high! Fortuna—the goddess of luck, chance and fate—was surely not happy about that.

Size: 9 x 9 x 9 mm
Weight: 1.32 grams
Material: horn / antler

Condition: excellent, a very fine dice that is even more beautiful in reality.

Shipping method: this lot will be shipped in excellent packaging via DHL or UPS using Catawiki’s smart shipping.