Osječki zbornik, Vol. Vol. 30 No. xx, 2011.
Original scientific paper
Roman bone tokens and dice from the old holdings at the Museum of Slavonia in Osijek
Marina Kovač
; Muzej Slavonije Osijek, Osijek, Hrvatska
Abstract
ROMAN BONE TOKENS AND DICE FROM THE OLD HOLDINGS AT THE MUSEUM OF SLAVONIA IN OSIJEK
Bone tokens and dice presented in this paper were donated by the citizens of Osijek to the Museum of Slavonia in Osijek mostly by the end of the 19th century and in the second half of the 20th century and also by their repurchasing. The donators of the analysed tokens and dice here are: Carl Franz Nuber, Dorde Radanovic, Ladislav Pinter and Josip Sap. This paper deals with the catalogue 74 Roman bone playing items (tokens and dice) analysis. Besides notification of Mursa site almost all of them have an unknown site written as a description of the nearest discovery site except for several items that were found in the Lower Town, on a sand-bank by the Nikola Tesla square. The only exception is a single die that was brought to the museum from Solin and it carries no detailed data. Lack of other data is a consequence of unsystematic research, i.e. the result of which all items came to collections as chance finds.
Due to lack of archaelogical context, bone playing items can only rely on a general chronological frame of particular types.
The phenomenon of game has emerged in human past since its beginning and it has influenced the mere development of culture and human civilization in general. Latin name for dice game derives from the name for a rough sheep or goat bone - from astragal and since the animal ankle in Latin is called talus, thus dice games are called tali.
Dice games and token games were played not only by adults but also children in order to develop their intelligence so that dice games were a part of general education (but it did not include gambling for money). A wide-spread prevalence of dice games and their unfavourable impacts on state incited resistance of secular and ecclesiastic authorities which imposed a ban on games on chance. This law is known as Lex Talaria (Law on gambling). The law on banning the gambling did not adhere only to Saturnalia (in the month of December).
Bone tokens were made of transversely cut animal bones and ivory. Most Roman tokens were made of bone and mainly on a lathe or with an auger. The bulk had a cut underneath made by a scrub plane. Bone playing tokens are circular or slightly oval slabs mostly in a two-cm diameter and their both sides can be flat or one flat and the other bulgy or dented. Tokens can be decorated by an impressed dot, concentrated circles, concentrated circles with dot in the middle (“eye”) or various notches that represent numerical values. Tokens can also be unadorned. Apart from bones, tokens were made of stone, glass paste, wood or clay. They emerged in all Roman periods and they are chronologically unaffected and can be dated from the 1st century until the mid 5th century. Bone pawns were also used in games especially on boards such as ludus latronculorum. The pawns were mostly of a calotte or cylinder shape.
Since bone tokens and pawns were used in board games and had the same purpose, we have made a typology for both item sorts. The typology has been determined according to shape and decoration on a token obverse. It is possible that, except for game, some tokens were used in trade or as theatre tickets. There are eleven types presented in the paper. Type 1 (cat.no. 1-3, T. 1,1-3). This type makes the tokens of circular diameter with flat obverse and reverse. They are biconic or straight cut on rims. This type of tokens has a dot as a decoration impressed in the middle of the token. They frequently have a bright glitter from polishing. The author A. St. Clair confirms that these tokens are determined in the context of the 1st and 2nd century during researches on the eastern part of Palatine. Type 2 (cat.no. 4, T. 1,4). This type makes the tokens of circular or oval diameter with flat obverse and reverse and the rim is serrate. In cross-section they are rounded on rims. The serrate rim serves as a decoration to this token type. Type 3 (cat.no. 5, T. 1,5). This type makes the tokens of circular diameter with the obverse that has a dent in the middle of the token with an impressed dot and between centre and rim is a plastic annular bulge. The token’s reverse is flat. In cross-section they are rounded, flat or biconic on rims. The author A. St. Clair confirms that these tokens are determined in the context of the 3rd and 4th century during researches on the eastern part of Palatine. Type 4 (cat.no. 6, T. 1,6; T. 8,71). This type makes the tokens of circular diameter with flat obverse and reverse. In cross-section they are biconic, rounded or straight cut on rims. This type of tokens has no decoration. Type 5 (cat.no. 7-37, T. 1,7-9, T. 2,10-18, T. 3, 19-27, T. 4,28-36, T. 5,37). This type makes the tokens of circular diameter with the obverse that has a dent in the middle of the token with an impressed dot and between centre and rim there is a flat ring of different width. The token reverse is flat. In cross- section they are biconic, rounded or straight cut on rims. This type of tokens has a dot as a decoration impressed in the middle of the token. Type 6 (cat.no. 38-41, T. 5, 38-41). This type makes the tokens of circular diameter with the obverse in the middle of the token having a bigger or smaller perforation around it which could or could not be in the decoration such as concentrated circles or a peripheral ring. The tokens reverse is flat. In cross-section they are biconic, rounded or flat on rims. Type 7 (cat.no. 42-63, T. 5, 42-45, T 6,46-54, T 7,55-63). This type makes the tokens of circular diameter with the obverse on which there is a decoration such as concentrated circles. The number varies from token to token and a dot is impressed in the middle of the token. They were made on lathe. In cross-section they are biconic, rounded or flat on rims. Some authors such as M. T. Biro consider a different number of concentrated circles to be the mark of value the possibility of which should not be denied. Type 8 (cat.no. 64, T. 8,64). This type makes the tokens of circular diameter with the obverse that has a dent in the middle of the token with an elevated relief ring and a circle in the centre and there are concentrated circles around the rim. Only the rim is serrate. The reverse is flat. Type makes the tokens of circular diameter with a convex obverse that has a diverse decorative content comprised of different circles with dots in the centre - "eyes”. In the middle of the token there is one or more circles with dots in the centre with a different number of circles with a dot. The reverse is flat. They are semicircular in cross-section. Type 10 (cat.no. 67, T. 8,67). This type of playing item is a token although it might be a pawn that is extraordinarily higher than an average token and the cross-section is conical. There are no decorations on obverse and the reverse is flat. Type 11 (cat.no. 68-70,72, T. 8,66-70, 72). This type makes the tokens of the circular diameter with a slightly convex obverse that has an impressed dot in the centre and the reverse is flat. They are semicircular in cross-section.
A die was not originally used for games but it had the role of prophecy. Bone dice were found in large numbers on Roman sites and they were much like dice of today. Six-sided dice were made in various sizes. Only dots were impressed on smaller dice and the values were marked with "eyes” on bigger ones representing numbers (values) from 1 to 6 - a type tessera or those which opposite sides were marked with numbers 4,5 or 6 - a type talus. The sum of opposite sides was 7 by the dice of type tessera. Dice were furthermore made of stone, metal, wood and clay. Sometimes numerous marks on sides were not notched but coloured. Dice were deposited in a specially made saving boxes that were used also for the throwing the dice.
Saving boxes (pyrgus, turricula, phirius or fritillus), three dice were put in for the throwing and the best result was three six. These dice boxes were used in order to prevent cheating while throwing. There are two dice (cat.no. 73 and 74, T9,73-74) in our catalogue of the same type. Dice are of irregular square shape with concentrated circles inside of which there is an impressed dot - "eyes”.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
206988
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2011.
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