Six-Sided Die Found in the City of David’s Pool of Siloam

Summary: A medieval six-sided die made of bone was unearthed at the Pool of Siloam archaeological site in the City of David. How were dice used going back to Biblical times?

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. – Proverbs 16:33 (ESV)

Oldest Known Gaming Tool

To date, dice are the oldest known gaming objects ever discovered. Rolling dice has been used as a method of random selection for thousands of years. Civilizations around the globe have tossed dice for board games, divination, gambling and more.

Recently, a small die dating back to the 13th century was unearthed in Israel. Archaeologists working under the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) uncovered the cube during routine soil sifting at the Pool of Siloam in the City of David National Park, a site known for its rich archaeological significance. The pool was originally made by King Hezekiah in the 8th century BC and is where Jesus healed a blind man in the New Testament (John 9:1-11).

Carved from Bone

The small die is made of bone and closely resembles the design of modern dice being in the shape of a cube with six sides. Each face is numbered one through six using engraved circles.

“Bones were a readily available and inexpensive material in ancient times,” said excavation directors, Dr. Filip Vukosavović and Itamar Berko. “They were used to create a variety of everyday items, including musical instruments, makeup utensils, riding pins, dining utensils, and evidently, items for games.”

The archaeologists emphasized the historical importance of such finds. With the Pool of Siloam die accurately dated to the Ayyubid period, specifically the 13th to 14th centuries AD, it provides a tangible connection to the leisurely pursuits of those times. Archaeological evidence traces the existence of similar six-sided dice back to 2000 BC.

The History of Dice

Ancient dice were often made of shells, seeds or sticks and were most often two-sided. Sometimes one side would be flat and the other side rounded to differentiate them. Others have been found decorated with carvings or paint. We still use this type of tool today for random selection when we flip a coin.

Another popular form of ancient dice comes from astragals or knucklebones. As the name suggests, these are the literal bones taken from the back ankle of a sheep, goat, deer, horse or other large, hoofed mammal. Astragals have been used as dice since at least the 5th century BC and have been found in the tombs of ancient Egyptians and Greeks.

Dice have evolved over time from natural objects, such as shells or astragals, to man-made objects, like the recently discovered die. Early cubed dice were made from clay or bone. Some have even been found sculpted from marble, metal and amber.

Dice and Casting Lots in the Bible

Casting lots using coins, sticks, cards, or dice was a form of selection used often in the Bible. Israelites in the Old Testament cast lots to determine the will of God. The outcome was not seen as entirely random. God was believed to affect and influence the outcome as the Bible confirms.

The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.
– Proverbs 16:33 (ESV)

There are many examples of casting lots in the Bible for important decisions. In Leviticus, Aaron cast lots to choose a scapegoat.

[Aaron] is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat. – Leviticus 16:8-10 (NIV)

In Numbers and Joshua, lots are used to distribute the Promised Land to each tribe.

But the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. – Numbers 26:55 (ESV)

In Judges, lots are cast to determine who would go to war.

All the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house. But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot. – Judges 20:8-9 (ESV)

In Nehemiah, lots are used to decide the order of the priests and their duties.

“We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots for the wood burning, to bring it into the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law.” – Nehemiah 10:34 (ESV)

King David used lots to organize the musicians in 1 Chronicles.

They cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike. – 1 Chron. 25:8 (ESV)

Other situations where lots are used include: the determination of families who were to relocate to Jerusalem (Neh. 11:11), finding a guilty person (Jos. 7:14-18, Prov. 18:18), and organizing the Levites (1 Chron. 24:5) to name a few.

The entire book of Esther was written to commemorate an event that was decided by casting lots. The annual Jewish holiday called Purim means “lots.” Haman, the enemy of the Jews, was given permission by the king of the Persian Empire to kill the Jews living there. To decide the date, Haman cast lots. The Jewish, orphan girl Esther, providentially had become queen and God used her to stop the genocide. In a miraculous turn of events, the date set for the annihilation of the Jewish people became the day they were given the opportunity, instead, to kill their enemies.

In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. – Esther 3:7 (ESV)

Therefore, they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. – Esther 9:26 (ESV)

In the New Testament, there are many examples of casting lots, with the most familiar appearing in all four gospels. After Jesus was crucified, the Roman soldiers, not wanting to tear Jesus’ seamless garment, cast lots to decide who would get it, fulfilling the prophecy given in Psalm 22:18.

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier, also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” – John 19:23-24 (ESV)

The last reference to casting lots in the Bible is when the disciples wanted to find a replacement for Judas and the lot fell to Matthias (Acts 1:26). After Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given, Christians no longer needed to cast lots to find God’s will. We can speak directly to God and ask him for guidance, using his Word as a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

Using dice for games and for random selection is still useful today but should never be used for divination which is tied to occultic practices. The Bible tells us not to use witchcraft to make decisions, foresee our future, or contact the dead. These practices may seem fun and harmless, but they can easily be used to deceive us and invite evil into our lives.

King Saul was condemned for consulting a medium for guidance.

So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the Lord. – 1 Chron. 10:13-14 (ESV)

For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.– 1 Samuel 13:23a (ESV)

In the New Testament book of Acts, Paul was preaching in Ephesus and once people became believers, they gave up their magic arts.

Many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. – Acts 19:18-19 (ESV)

We need to be careful of seeking spiritual means to find guidance. The Bible makes it clear that we should go directly to God with our prayers and requests.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. – James 1:5 (ESV)

Conclusion

The latest discovery of the special, six-sided die in the City of David demonstrates how the site continues to be of archaeological significance, offering insights into the daily lives of its ancient inhabitants. This connects to the use of dice going back to Biblical times. This tiny cube adds to the growing collection of artifacts that shed light on the cultural practices of historical civilizations in the region.

There are plans to display the timeworn gaming die in an upcoming exhibition, allowing the public to glimpse into the past and consider the leisure interests that have united cultures throughout the ages. Keep Thinking!

TOP PHOTO: 13th century era die unearthed in City of David National Park. (credit: Maor Ganot/City of David)