Description:

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 4th century CE. A Roman game piece hand carved from bovine bone with a circular base and rounded top. This smoothly carved artifact is intricately decorated with several registers, including (from top to bottom): five incised parallel rings around the center of its top, four carved bands, motifs of three bullseyes arranged in an upside down triangle repeated six times around the perimeter, and five incised ribs. A game piece such as this was likely used by the ancients for playing ludus latrunculorum, or simply latrunculi or latrones, a game of military tactics, making bone a chillingly appropriate medium for this pawn. This elegant piece highlights the universality of gaming (and, perhaps, scheming) across cultures and centuries! Size: 0.875" Diameter x 1.375" H (2.2 cm x 3.5 cm)

Provenance: ex Estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA acquired before 2000

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#158508

  • Condition: A few minor nicks/chips, scratches, and cracks commensurate with age. Overall, intact and excellent.

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September 22, 2020 10:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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