Ancient Roman

The second century AD was a heyday for the Romans in the Netherlands. The limes, the Roman border that ran along the great rivers, was secured to a certain extent and only needed to be guarded. To guard a border that stretched all across the Netherlands from Germany to the North Sea, you needed many soldiers. A river is a natural border, one that is difficult to cross but also easier to defend. Many Dutch cities, such as Utrecht, Nijmegen and Leiden, owe their origins to the Roman limes. Along this border, many forts (castella) and military camps (castra) were established. These settlements primarily served to protect the borders, but they also provided space for trade. Trade took place between the different limes settlements, usually via the river. The Romans also conducted trade with the indigenous tribes on the other side of the border. The Romans did not live in a constant state of war with their ‘barbarian’ neighbors, and peaceful contact was certainly possible. With many impressive watchtowers, the limes functioned more as a boundary and hopefully a deterrent than as an impenetrable barrier. In the second century AD it was quite quiet in the south of the Netherlands (the province of Germania Inferior). The soldiers in the military camps, forts, and watchtowers must have been terribly bored at times. The Roman commanders often kept the soldiers busy with cooking, cleaning, and gymnastics. That can get tiresome after a while. One of the things Roman soldiers were clever at was finding distractions. They were known to love dice, gambling, and other games of chance. They often challenged each other to stake money or other possessions. That makes a game quickly tense! In several places where Roman settlements once stood, remnants of games have been found. Many of these games are still familiar to us today. A nice example are these dice, visible at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. The found dice looked not much different from our dice. There are even examples of dice that were weighted on one side, so the chance of landing on six was very high! Fortuna—the goddess of luck, chance, and fate—would certainly not have been pleased. Size: 13 x 13 x 12 mm Weight: 3.56 grams Material: bone / bone Condition: excellent, a very fine die that is actually even more beautiful in person. Shipping method: this lot will be shipped in excellent condition via DHL or UPS using Catawiki’s smart shipping.

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