Cubic twenty-face and twelve-face

Two traditions relate the invention of the dice-cubos in Greek, alea in Latin, the first recorded by Pausanias (Phoc. XXXI) and attributing it to the Greek Palamedes, the second going back to pharaonic Egypt and attested by archaeological discoveries, although rather scarcely.

As for knucklebones, rolls of the dice carried particular denominations : the Felicious, the Ennemy, the Bitting, the Lacedemonians.

As games, rules were most varied. They could be set at the beginning of the play, the different players defining the aim of the game before rolling them : getting the highest or the lowest total, draw certain figures.