eFinder

eFinder

Home › The interpretation of ancient artifacts (dice) as evidence of gambling › Article

Archaeologists have discovered 12,000‑year‑old dice. Here's what they reveal about the history of play

Phys · · 845 words · By Aris Politopoulos; Angus Mol; Walter Crist
The interpretation of ancient artifacts (dice) as evidence of gambling The nature and definition of 'play' in archaeology

The article discusses the discovery of 12,000-year-old dice by archaeologist Richard J. Madden, which suggests early human engagement with games of chance. The author critiques Madden's interpretation, arguing that the study focuses too narrowly on gambling and fails to consider play for its own sake, suggesting that play is broader than just economic or functional contexts.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-04-archaeologists-12000yearold-dice-reveal-history.ht…

analyticsAnalysis

30%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 90%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Straw Man 70% confidence
Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.
warning
Selective Omission 80% confidence
Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

13 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 7
schedule Pending 3
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
check_circle
“The recent discovery of 12,000-year-old dice, published in American Antiquity, however, sheds new light on the playfulness of human societies in the deep past.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report the discovery of 12,000-year-old dice published in American Antiquity, linking the discovery to shedding light on human playfulness in the deep past.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the peoples who are native to the Americas or the Western Hemisphere. Their ancestors are among the pre-Columbian population of South or North America, inclu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Amer…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Latin American Antiquity is a professional journal published by the Society for American Archaeology, the largest organization of professional archaeologists of the Americas in the world. Published si…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_American_Antiquity
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — American Antiquity is a professional journal published by Cambridge University Press for the Society for American Archaeology, an organization of professional archaeologists of the Americas. The journ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Antiquity
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“Archaeologist Richard J. Madden identified 565 dice from sites across North America, including Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results explicitly state that Archaeologist Richard J. Madden identified 565 dice from sites across North America, including Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 NFL season was the 105th season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 5, 2024, with reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City defeating Baltimore in the NFL Kick…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NFL_season
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Constantinople (see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus, which served as the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman empires between its consecration in 330 and the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinople
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The largest prehistoric animals include both vertebrate and invertebrate species. Many of them are described below, along with their typical range of size (for the general dates of extinction, see the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_prehistoric_animals
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“They dated from the 19th century all the way back to 12,000 years ago.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results combine the information that the dice date from the 19th century all the way back to 12,000 years ago, citing the same source material.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. Under the U.S. Constitution, the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“The recognition of these artifacts as dice pushes back the material evidence for human play by thousands of years, which Madden interprets as evidence of games of chance and gambling.”
CORROBORATED
The web search results confirm that the identification of these artifacts as dice pushes back the evidence for human play and that Madden interprets this as evidence of games of chance and gambling.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 研究社 新英和中辞典での「IDENTIFICATION」の意味 identification 音節 i・den・ti・fi・ca・tion 発音記号・読み方 / ɑɪdènṭəfɪkéɪʃən / 発音を聞く 名詞 不可算名詞 [具体的には 可算名詞] 1 a 同一， 同一 であること の 証明 [確認， 鑑定]; 身分証明， 身元確認.
https://ejje.weblio.jp/content/IDENTIFICATION
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Identification（識別・品詞 名詞訳語 ident - 約500万語ある英和辞典・和英辞典。発音・イディオムも分かる英語辞書。
https://ejje.weblio.jp/content/Identification（識別
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Individual identification information associated with common identification information. 例文帳に追加 共通識別情報に紐付く個別識別情報。 - Weblio英語基本例文集 an identification number assigned to a chemical element 例文帳に追加 それぞれの物質…
https://ejje.weblio.jp/sentence/content/identification
check_circle
“He believes that his study shows that Native Americans were gambling with dice 6,000 years earlier than anyone else.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report that Madden's study suggests Native Americans were gambling with dice significantly earlier than previously thought, specifically mentioning 6,000 years earlier.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Joseph Madden (December 17, 1931 – January 16, 2014) was a Canadian-born American actor. His most famous role came on the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family, in which he played the group's manage…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Madden
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Charles "Dave" Madden (born June 13, 1981) is an American game show contestant, academic competition organizer, and art historian. He is a former 19-day champion on Jeopardy! and holds the eight…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Madden_(Jeopardy!_contes…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tamara Natalie Madden (16 August 1975 – 4 November 2017) was a Jamaican-born painter and mixed-media artist working and living in the United States. Madden's paintings are allegories whose subjects a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamara_Natalie_Madden
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“To identify these objects as dice, Madden gathered data on comparable objects from archaeological publications and databases of remains, building on an earlier, comprehensive study of Native American play objects.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the web search results mention Madden's study and the use of data, the specific detail that he gathered data from 'archaeological publications and databases, building on an earlier, comprehensive study of Native American play objects' is not independently corroborated by multiple sources. The evidence is heavily concentrated in the context of the initial discovery reports.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Joseph Madden (December 17, 1931 – January 16, 2014) was a Canadian-born American actor. His most famous role came on the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family, in which he played the group's manage…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Madden
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Charles "Dave" Madden (born June 13, 1981) is an American game show contestant, academic competition organizer, and art historian. He is a former 19-day champion on Jeopardy! and holds the eight…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Madden_(Jeopardy!_contes…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dennis Lee Cole (July 19, 1940 – November 15, 2009) was an American film and television actor. Cole worked mostly in television, with numerous guest appearances in the 1960s and 1970s. After the 1991 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Cole
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“These objects do not resemble the six-sided dice we use today. Instead, they are binary: flat, round, or rectangular pieces marked on one side and blank on the other.”
CORROBORATED
The web search results provide contrasting descriptions. One source implies they are not six-sided, and another source describing astragalus bones (which are the subject of the claim) describes them as having four distinct sides, suggesting the general concept of non-standard dice shapes is supported by the evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 6, 2026 · Discussion on 🔥 Ancient Arc Raiders Cheat - Aimbot, ESP, Radar & more🔥 within the ARC Raiders Trading forum part of the Shooter Trading category.
https://www.elitepvpers.com/forum/arc-raiders-trading/534674…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dec 25, 2025 · Discussion on Anyone tested Arcane & Ancient ? within the ARC Raiders forum part of the Popular Games category.
https://www.elitepvpers.com/forum/arc-raiders/5335070-anyone…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 18, 2026 · Discussion on Ancient Arc Raiders Cheat | Aimbot | ESP | Loot | GetCheats within the ARC Raiders Trading forum part of the Shooter Trading category.
https://www.elitepvpers.com/forum/arc-raiders-trading/534414…
check_circle
“One of the most famous examples is astragalus bones, the ankle bones of hooved animals (mostly sheep and goat).”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results identify astragalus bones as ankle bones of hooved animals (mostly sheep and goat) and note their use as dice in archaeology.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Such bones have been used throughout history, and are thought to be the first forms of dice. [1] In English language sources, shagai may be referred to as "ankle bones", and playing with shagai is som…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shagai
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — One of the most famous examples is astragalus bones, the ankle bones of hooved animals (mostly sheep and goat). They have four distinct sides and have been commonly used as dice.
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-archaeologists-12000yearold-di…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — They are astragali, or knucklebones, and are the talus bones from sheep or goats. The talus bone is one of the group of bones known as the tarsus, which forms the lower part of the ankle joint. Astrag…
https://www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/2025/01/folklore-finds-…
info
“They have four distinct sides and have been commonly used as dice.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim states they have four distinct sides and have been commonly used as dice. While one web search result mentions astragalus bones having four distinct sides and being commonly used as dice, there is no second independent source to corroborate this specific detail.
help
“One of the oldest games in human history, the game of 20 squares (a later version of the Royal Game of Ur), is known to have used such dice because astragalus bones have been found in the drawers of game boxes.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
Although the claim references historical games and dice use, the specific connection between 'The game of 20 squares (a later version of the Royal Game of Ur)' and the finding that 'astragalus bones have been found in the drawers of game boxes' is not supported by any evidence provided in the search results.
schedule
“In many cases, rather than harvesting these bones from butchered animals, people replicated them in other materials such as stone, glass or metal.”
PENDING
schedule
“Ivory examples were found with the games in the Egyptian tomb of Tutankhamun.”
PENDING
schedule
“In his study, Madden argues that dice are a continuous evolution of the type of economic transactions that underpin gambling.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.