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Dice, a board game piece

UnknownLate 13th – Early 14th Century

National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
Vilnius, Lithuania

This small playing dice, 1 x 1 x 1 cm in size, is made from bone. The system of dot placement (6:5, 4:3, 1:2) is different to that used these days. More than 10 such dice have been found in Lithuania. They were made from bone or amber. Spell books grew in popularity from the 15th century that explained what the number of dots meant after asking a certain question and rolling the dice for the answer. In Poland, Latvia and other countries, some men's and women's graves also contained a dice. This means they were not just used for games, but also sometimes for doing spells or even to set the size of punishment (in 13th–14th-century Europe), to resolve arguments or share property.

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  • Title: Dice, a board game piece
  • Creator: Unknown
  • Date Created: Late 13th – Early 14th Century
  • Location Created: The territory of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in the Vilnius Lower Castle
  • Physical Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1 cm
  • Type: Games
  • Rights: National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
  • Medium: Bone
National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

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