Historical Facts about the Dice Game
If you're fond of playing craps and other dice games, why not take a walk down memory lane and learn about the ancestors of your favorite pastime?
Experts believe that bones were used as dice in the old days. More specifically, the ankle bones of creatures like oxen were the ones especially used to make dice. It's because of that dice were once known as "knucklebones". Then, knucklebones were used in a game of skill played mostly by females and children.
Of course, the material used to make dice was not limited to bones alone. Humans, even back then, were not that gothic or dreary. Royal families, for instance, made use of semi-precious minerals like amber and porcelain to produce dice. Other materials that were commonly used to make dice as well were ivory, alabaster, onyx, jet, wood, metal, rock crystal, stone and agate.
Excavations and other archaeological findings have exposed the fact that dice were greatly used in a number of ways in almost all parts of the world for thousands of years already!
In Egypt, where the oldest record on dice exists, there is even a wall painting depicted the Pharaoh playing dice with two women.
In India, findings have shown that dice were also used as a game, this time called the Rig-Veda.
The Romans were not amune as well to the lure of the dice. Many famous Romans in fact like Attila were great cheats in dice games! Still, that may not be as surprising when you consider the fact that Romans were quite notorious for their love for gambling.
What would surprise you however, is the fact that dicing, although a favorite gambling game, was actually forbidden to Romans except during the reign of Saturnalia.
Secondly, dicing was also the basis for numerous Roman laws. For instance, the Roman politicians decreed that no person could sue another person if he has been outed to have permitted gambling to take place in his residence, even if he has been victimized.
The Germans were also noted for their love for dicing. In fact, the Germans loved the game so much that they would wager anything - even their very freedom - just to be able to continue playing!
If you're interested in knowing where the dice we used today originated from, it's nowhere other than Korea. There, the dice were used in a game called Promotion and played by Buddhists.
And that brings us to the end of our article. Bet you didn't know all that history on dice, did you?
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