Dice are some of the oldest game pieces in history. Also dice can be used for fortune-telling, also referred to as divination. Sumer in South Mesopotamia (now Iraq) was the center of the earliest known civilization where the wheel, the plough, irrigation and surgery had their beginnings. Its known existence between 450-1900 BC gave birth to early forms of writing, mathematics and games. Dice is attributed to have been used here. In Lydia, the ancient land of Anatolia (now Turkey) which existed in the second millennium BC, dice were also known for gaming and use for the forecasting of changing fortunes. Atys (Greek: Ἄτυς) one of the sons of Manes along with Cotys, was the second king of Maeonia (later known as Lydia) and father of Lydus. He was the second king of the Atyad dynasty according to Herodotus. Herodotus later relates that Maeonia (Lydia) was beset with famine during Atys’ reign, on which account the games of dice, knuckle-bones and ball were developed, and the Maeonians spent every other day fasting and playing these games for 18 years.
Dice became the essence of what may happen in the future to change the fortunes of Lydia.
The ancient Greeks referred to divination with dice as Astragalomancy, with astragalus meaning “dice made of (animal) knucklebones” and “manteia” meaning divination. The word manteia became Mageia in Modern Greek to refer to wizardry or enchantment. Later, the Greeks found themselves referring to dice as the oracle to predict the will of the Gods. From Astragalomancy the word became Cleromancy and was the term derived for the throwing of dice or casting. The word Dice comes from the French word des, a plural word for the same objects. In English, the most common way to make nouns plural is to add an S. If die followed that rule, its plural form would be dies. If you look up dice in the Oxford Dictionary, you will learn that dice is an acceptable singular and plural
The Dice Man, a 1971 novel by career English professor George Cockcroft (writing under the pen name, “Luke Rhinehart”) tells the story of a psychiatrist who makes daily decisions based on the casting of a die.
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier. They also took the tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who gets it” (John 19:23-24). It was a gaming act but at the Same time predicted who would own the seamless tunic which would have no value as a divided garment. This oracle is maintained amongst the Gypsies, being used by the Romani male population for signs of good fortune until the present day.
Divination of Dice is a popular practice. Often practised only by males thus maintaining the masculine energy that is said to bring out the best outcome.
Gypsy men are known to throw the dice on a piece of material, such as a handkerchief or even on a cotton t-shirt, to increase the personal meaning of the outcome. It is a practice that is often accompanied by a bowl of water on the material which is said to prevent evil forces such as the Devil from interfering with the outcome. It personifies the will of God.
THE THROWING OF DICE
Take a throwing tumbler, shake dice well and release onto a flat surface. If any dice falls off the surface on which you are throwing, it is a sure indication that an argument of a violent nature could eventuate. If any dice lands on top of another, there is a windfall or a gift that is totally unexpected and much appreciated in its timing. Should the exact same numbers on the dice appear in succession it is an indication that there is news from abroad, or a long-distance communication will occur within a short period of time.
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