Dice

[hope]

History of the Dice
Dice and their forerunners are the oldest gaming implements known to man, Sophocles reported that dice was invented by the legendary Greek Palamedes during the siege of Troy where as Herodotus maintained they were invented by the Lydians in the days of King Atys. Both 'inventions' have been discredited by numerous archaeological finds, demonstrating that dice were used in many earlier societies.

The precursors of dice were magical devices that primitive people used for the casting of lots to divine the future,
the problable immediate forerunners of dice were knucklebones(astragalus, the anklebones of sheep, buffalo or
other animals),sometimes with markings on the four faces, such as objects are still used in some parts of the world.

In Greek and Roman times, most dice were made of bones and Ivory, others were of bronze,agate,onyx,jet,alabaster,
amber and other materials. Cubical dice with markings practically equivalent to those of modern dice have been
found in Chinese excavations from 600 BCE and in Eyptian tombs dating from 2000 BCE. The first written records
of dice are found in the Sanskirt epic the 'Mahabharta' composed in India more than 2,000 years ago.

Pyramidal dice(with 4 sides) are as old as the cubical ones, such dice were found with the so called Royal Game of
Ur, one of the oldest complete board games ever discovered, dating back to Sumer in the 3rd millennium BCE.
Another variation of dice is 'teetotums' a type of spinning top.

The reason for the spots on a dice instead of numbers is that people have been using dice since long before they
invented a way to write numbers.

It was not until the 16th century that dice games were subjected to mathematical analysis by Italian 'Girolamo
Cardano' and 'Galileo' among others and the concepts of randomness and probability were conceived.
Until then the prevalent attitude had been that dice and similar objects fell the way they did because of the
indirect action of gods or supernatural forces.

DICE. DIE
4-9-3-5. 4-9-5
993. 18
21 9
3

Mahabharata is a sacred poem of India dealing in many episodes with the struggle between two rival families.

[hope]

Sho is a traditional race game in Tibet. It's name is simply the Tibetan word for 'dice', it is traditionally played for
money by men, with two to four players , three being the most common. With four players, the usual variant is
to play as to teams of two, with the partners sitting opposite each other.

The 'board' is formed by a circular line of shells, typically 64 in number.
Each player (or team) has 9 identical playing pieces, which are usually old coins.
In any case, the playing pieces have to be stackable,
Two 6 sided dice are used. They are placed in a wooden dice cup which is shaken and then slammed down onto the
dice pad, typically made of yak leather stuffed with yak wool which forms the centre of the board, within the circle
of the shells.

Sho
19 8 15
1 8 6
15
6

[Nazheek]

I one was taught a form of dredle played with a dice by a hermetic jew.

In slightly more related note, I just purchased a dice inscribed to my sigil.

[Redbeck]

Astragalomancy, considered a form of Cleromancy, is essentially a system of divination which uses dice. It is an ancient form of divination which is still widely used by those seeking answer to the unknown. One of the most common forms of Dice Divination today uses three dice. Normally numbers are either engraved or scrawled on the dice; these numbers are associated with letters, which have a bearing on the questions posed by the diviner. The diviner then rolls the dice, resulting in a random sequence of numbers.

A sequence interpreted by the diviner according to certain rules, usually specific to his/her religion for example Buddhism. There are books written by various Tibetan lamas on interpretations for the casting of dice.



Antique Bone Dice by Matthew Venus

Returning to one of the most common forms of Dice Divination using three dice.

The diviner will draw a circle, roughly eight inches (approx 20 cms) or so, either on a piece of paper or on the ground. Some diviners employ a simple mat with a pre-drawn circle. The question is posed and the dice are cast.

To determine the meaning of the reading the diviner will first examine if any dice have fallen outside of the circle.

1 dice outside - Difficulties lie ahead

2 dice outside- Arguments and quarrels are likely

3 dice outside- A sign of luck and success (no reading required)

The dice that land within the circle are totalled up and their sum indicates the message.

0,1,2 - No answer available. Ask another day

3 - a change in circumstances will happen soon

4 - Unpleasantness, arguments, misunderstanding

5 - Unexpected surprise or information, plans and wishes will be fulfilled

6 - Loss of some kind, most likely financial, possibly material, or a relationship

7- Potential hardships, gossip, finances, etc. but they will eventually be resolved

8- Do not act hastily, lack of discretion may lead to misfortune

9- A possible union in love or in business , success in romance and/or gambling

10- New beginnings, possibly a birth, or a new job/promotion

11- Potential loss of a person, death, short term illness; or the return of a person with whom you were estranged from you

12- An important communication will arrive soon, seek counsel if it is a legal matter, potential for a large sum of money

13- Continuation on a current path will lead to misery and difficulty

14- A friend or relative will offer their assistance, also possibly heralds the arrival of a new romance.

15- Proceed with caution, avoid starting new projects during the following week, do not be drawn into gossip

16- A short trip will provide relief, entertainment, and potentially profit

17- A change of perspective, adjustment to plans may be needed, it is important to be receptive to the council of others, even those whom you don’t know

18- Luck, Success, Blessings, Attainment and Fulfillment

Additional items worthy of note

*If two dice land one on top of the other when throwing the dice, this means that a gift will be received. The dice must be rethrown for the actual reading.

*If dice are thrown on a tabletop and a one falls on the floor, then a friend may be lost.

*There is a belief that dice should not be thrown on either a Monday or Wednesday, nor should they be thrown more than three times for the same person in any one day.