A Roman rock-crystal icosahedron (20-sided dice).
Used in fortune-telling. Each face has a Latin letter on it, and also the corresponding Roman numeral. The ten lateral faces bear the letters A to K, and the numerals 1 to 10. The upper five triangles bear the letters L to P and the numbers 11 to 15. The lower five triangles bear the letters Q to V, and the numbers 16-20.
This item is by no means unique. A considerable number of polyhedral dice have been recovered from all over the Roman empire. The majority are inscribed with Greek or Latin numbers or letters.
📸 Louvre Museum
Used in fortune-telling. Each face has a Latin letter on it, and also the corresponding Roman numeral. The ten lateral faces bear the letters A to K, and the numerals 1 to 10. The upper five triangles bear the letters L to P and the numbers 11 to 15. The lower five triangles bear the letters Q to V, and the numbers 16-20.
This item is by no means unique. A considerable number of polyhedral dice have been recovered from all over the Roman empire. The majority are inscribed with Greek or Latin numbers or letters.
📸 Louvre Museum
"Terpsichore" — Antonio Canova (1757-1822)
📸 The Cleveland Museum of Art
📸 The Cleveland Museum of Art
Hermitage of Saint Donato, on Mount Beriain, Navarre, Spain.
This is how it can be seen in winter.
This is how it can be seen in winter.
A reconstruction of a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon helmet found in the Staffordshire hoard.
📸 Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
📸 Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.