Knucklebone Dice

Knucklebones, known as Shagai to Mongolians, Astrogaloi to ancient Greeks, and Tali to Romans, were crafted from the knucklebones of hooved animals and used for games of chance, skill, and divination. This oldest known form of dice was played across the ancient world, in medieval Europe, and is still played in parts of Central Asia.

HOW TO PLAY: Numerous ways to play exist, reflecting the` diverse cultures that used them. The core concept remains consistent: each bone can land on one of four unique sides, with unequal probability. For a comprehensive history and rules of various knucklebones games, see the LinkWikipedia entry. Jenna Mortensen's Linkpaper offers a great summary of their use in divination.

A perfect gift for enthusiasts of history, board games, or historical board games! Available for purchase on LinkShapeways.

For those with a 3D printer, you can create your own by finding the design on LinkThingiverse. Printed in white, strong and flexible nylon via Shapeways.com

Printed in white, strong and flexible nylon via Shapeways.com Roman Tali scoring system

Roman Tali scoring system Real bone master (left) and printed copy (right)

Real bone master (left) and printed copy (right) Real sheep knucklebones were scanned using 123D catch. Photographing against a black background then inverting the photos prior to processing improved capture quality.

Real sheep knucklebones were scanned using 123D catch. Photographing against a black background then inverting the photos prior to processing improved capture quality. 3D Printed Sheep Knucklebones