Humans have been playing dice as far back as 12,000 years ago - and not where it was thought to be

We're talking about finds from the last ice age.

Details

A study has found that ancient hunter-gatherers in North America used special bone objects to play games of chance.

These "dice" were different from modern ones: they were flat and had two sides - like a coin. They were thrown in groups, and the outcome depended on which side they fell.

Scientists have found more than 600 such objects at archaeological sites in different regions of the United States.

The oldest of them date back to about 12,000 years ago - this is several thousand years earlier than similar finds in Europe and Asia.

Many of these objects had previously been found but not recognised as gaming dice. A new study has offered clear criteria to redefine their purpose.

Why it matters

The discovery changes ideas about the development of culture and thinking in ancient people.

Scientists note:

• chance games appeared earlier than thought
• they may have played an important social role
• such games helped interaction between groups

Although not probability theory in the modern sense, humans were already using randomness consciously.

Background

Dice and games of chance were previously thought to have emerged around 5,000-6,000 years ago in Old World civilisations.

New evidence shows that similar practices existed much earlier in other regions as well.

Source

The study is based on the analysis of more than 600 bone objects from archaeological sites in North America dating from 12,000 years ago. It was published in American Antiquity (2026).