May 15, 2019
Ancient Die from Mohenjo-Daro
This terracotta die comes from the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro, one of the first urban centres in human history.
Gaming with dice has been a popular pastime in India for millennia, with this object dating back to 2500–1900 BC. Dicing is also mentioned as an Indian game in Rig and Atharva Vedas (two of the four sacred Vedic scriptures).
Interestingly, 'games of throwing dice' were also included on the Buddhist games list - a list of games the Gautama Buddha is reputed to have said that he would not play on the grounds that they were 'cause for negligence'.
See this object on display in Gallery 12 ⠀