Ancient Roman Dice

Games are an important part of our lives, and they have always been even in Roman times where ancient Roman dice were used. Since ancient times, people have found ways to unwind at the end of a work day and enjoy the company of others. Games provide socialization, fun, and friendly or wagered competition. Dice are an ancient form of game still in use today.

Dice have been around for at least 7000 years, so the Romans had many forms of dice games available. Most ancient dice were made of sheep knuckle bones, other bones, or glass. The practice of placing dots on the sides to represent numbers was a way of counting before written numerals and playing even with those of other languages. Roman dice games varied from simple knucklebone games that were win-lose, or regular four-sided dice called tali, but was most often the six-sided tesserae. They used the dice, a metal or clay cup for tossing like our yahtzee cup, and the roundels or chips for score/money tracking.

Gambling often took place in taverns, brothels, streets, and campfires of military camps. Gaming was so much an obsession and social problem among Romans that the government restricted the use of gambling, imposing heavy fines and penalties. This did little to actually stop gaming. It simply put the games behind closed doors. Gaming restrictions were lifted during large events such as the Saturnalia festival and at gladiatorial and racing venues.

The restrictions on gambling, including dice, led to the use of roundels, sheep knucklebones specifically for keeping track of score (and money owed). These roundels started the practice of using chips in games, a practice much used even today.

Dice have been an integral part of gaming for centuries. The very word we use for dice is derived from the Latin datum, meaning "something played."