Who invented dice?

No one knows who invented dice, which emerged in several places almost simultaneously. Six-sided examples dating back about 4,500 years have been found in the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia; before these, people used anklebones (astragali) to cast lots.

Before the die, the bone

Long before the cube, people threw astragali, small anklebones from sheep and goats. They have four different sides and land more or less randomly. They were used for gaming and also for divination, because in Antiquity, chance and the sacred went hand in hand. In Spain, people still play "las tabas" with them.

The first cubic dice

At sites such as Mohenjo-Daro or Shahr-e Sukhteh in Iran, dice from thousands of years ago have been discovered. In the Royal Game of Ur, one of the oldest known board games, pyramid-shaped dice were used. Each culture tested different shapes until the cube prevailed because it was easy to manufacture and well-balanced.

Why do opposite faces add up to seven?

It is a very ancient custom: 1 opposite 6, 2 opposite 5, and 3 opposite 4. This is already seen in many Roman dice. It helps to distribute the weight of the pips and makes it harder to rig them at a glance.

Dice and cards

Dice are pure luck; cards mix luck and decision-making. That is why many lifelong players say that in the deck, "luck deals, but you play." If you are interested in that side of chance, take a look at our explanation of whether luck streaks actually exist.