Ancient Roman, Empire Bone dice - Ancient Roman legionary bone gaming dice - 11 mm (No reserve price)

The second century AD was a flourishing time for the Romans in the Netherlands. The limes, the Roman frontier that ran along the major rivers, was safeguarded to some extent and only needed to be guarded. To monitor a border that stretched through the entire 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 cities, such as Utrecht, Nijmegen and Leiden, trace their origins to the Roman limes. Along this border there were many forts (castella) and military camps (castra) established.

These settlements primarily served to protect the borders, but they also provided space for trade. Trade occurred between the various limes settlements, usually via the river. The Romans also traded with the native tribes on the other side of the border. The Romans did not live 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 delineation and hopefully a deterrent than an impenetrable barrier.

In the second century AD, in the south of the Netherlands (the province of Germania Inferior) things were fairly quiet. The soldiers in the legion camps, forts, and watchtowers must have been terribly bored at times. The Roman commanders kept the soldiers busy with cooking, cleaning and gymnastic exercises. After a while, of course, you get tired of that. One of the things the 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 put money or other possessions on the line. That quickly makes a game exciting!

In several places where Roman settlements used to stand, remnants of games have been found. Many of these games are still familiar to us today. A nice 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 with one side weighted, making it very likely to land on six! Fortuna—the goddess of luck, chance and fate—undoubtedly would not have been pleased.

Size: 11 x 11 x 11 mm
Weight: 2.64 grams
Material: bone

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

Shipping method: this lot will be excellently packaged and shipped via DHL or UPS through Catawiki's smart shipping.