Ancient Roman

The second century AD was a period of flourishing for the Romans in the Netherlands. The limes, the Roman border that ran along the major rivers, was secured to a certain extent and only needed to be watched. To guard a border that stretched throughout the Netherlands from Germany to the North Sea, you needed many soldiers. A river is a natural border, difficult to cross yet easier to defend. Many Dutch cities, such as Utrecht, Nijmegen, and Leiden, trace their origins to along 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 were not 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 an impenetrable barrier. In the second century AD, in the southern part of the Netherlands (the province Germania Inferior) it was quite calm. The soldiers in the military camps, forts, and watchtowers must have sometimes been terribly bored. The Roman commanders kept the soldiers busy with cooking, cleaning, and gymnastic exercises. After a while, of course, you get tired of that. One of the things the Romans 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. A game quickly becomes exciting that way! 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 beautiful example are these dice, on display at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. The dice found did not look 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 surely not have been pleased. Size: 11 x 11 x 10 mm Weight: 2.07 g Material: bone Condition: excellent, a very beautiful dice that is even nicer in person. Shipping method: this lot will be shipped in excellent packaging via DHL or UPS through Catawiki’s smart shipping.

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