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A 600 - year - erstwhile wooden dice that seems to have been specially designed for cheating during play was recently discovered in Norway .
The " cheating dice " was line up beside a medieval - epoch street during archaeological excavations in the Vågsbunnen territory in Bergen .
The wooden dice has two 4s and two 5s but no 1 or 2. Archaeologists believe that it was likely used to cheat while gambling. This photo shows the two 5s.
" Over 30dicefrom the Middle Ages have been found in Bergen over the years so the breakthrough of a die in itself is not very surprising . This dice is , on the other mitt , particular , " wrote a team of archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research on itswebsite . [ Understanding the 10 Most Destructive Human Behaviors ]
A normal dice has only one number ( usually represented by a dose ) on each of its six sides , ranging from 1 to 6 . But not this die .
" The die from Vågsbunnen has two fives and two fours , instead of the Book of Numbers one and two . It is therefore very potential that this has been used to cuckold in biz , " the archeologist wrote .
The dice was found during excavations in this concrete area in the Vagsbunnen district in Bergen, Norway.
Another possibility is that this finicky dice was meant fora gamethat used a dice without a 1 or 2 , but rather two 4s and two 5s . However , it ’s more likely that it was used for cheat , archeologist say .
How exactly the cheating would have work is unclear . It ’s possible that the play involved a game where drift a 4 or 5 was favorable , but a 1 or 2 wasunlucky .
Whilebettingwas shun in Bergen in 1276 , that did n’t stop people from gambling , archaeologists say . Gambling with dice was a topic of arrant luck , and a dice like this could have helped someone win game — that is , until they were caught said Ingrid Rekkavik , an archaeologist with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research , in a blog postwritten in Norwegian .
Running out of luck
The die was found nigh to a wooden street that dates to the 1400s , aver Per Christian Underhaug , an archaeologist fro the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research , who is the project manager for the excavations . There were many lodge and gin mill in the arena , so it ’s potential that gambling could have taken place there .
It ’s possible that someone was catching on to the cheater , and they threw away that one die for deflect being caught , Rekkavik wrote . Another possibility is that the cheat was beguile reddish - handed , and an angry opponent thrash it onto the street . How the cheater would have been treat if caught is nameless — it ’s possible that their cheat lead to abrawl , said Rekkavik .
Originally published onLive scientific discipline .
