The Origin of Dice
Dice were not always made of plastic and used in craps and Milton Bradley products. Archaeologists speculate that the first things that were used as dice were the ankle bones of hoofed animals. These were referred to as "Knucklebones". This is one of the reasons that dice are referred to as "bones". It is difficult, if not impossible to trace the development of dice and when they became distinguished from knucklebones. The reason this is not easy is because ancient writers often confused games played with dice with ones played with the remains of the evening meal. The one thing that is absolutely certain though, both games were played in prehistoric times.
Tomb excavations of cities in the orient have proven that dice have been in use throughout Asia for as long as there have been men inhabiting that part of the world. This suggests that origins of what we recognize today as dice is Oriental.
Dicing is talked about in the Rig-veda as a game played an Indian game. Back in those primitive days knucklebones was a game of skill played mainly by women and children. Each of the four sides of the bones was assigned a different value. Using two or three of these dice was a popular form of amusement in Greece. For the upper classes, dice games were a common occurance at feasts and banquets. |
