Ancient Native American Dice Reveal Early Understanding of Probability

Original: Ice Age dice show early Native Americans may have understood probability

Ars Technica•Apr 4, 20262 min

In a Nutshell

A recent study published in *American Antiquity* reveals that Native Americans have been using dice for games of chance for over 12,000 years, predating known Old World dice by millennia. This challenges the notion that probability concepts originated solely in the Old World, highlighting the sophisticated gaming practices of ancient Native American cultures.

Key Points

01Native Americans have used dice for over 12,000 years.
02The oldest Native American dice predate Old World examples by millennia.
03These early dice were typically two-sided, unlike modern six-sided dice.
04The study challenges the historical view that probability was an Old World innovation.
05Robert Madden, a graduate student at Colorado State University, led the research.

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Full Summary

A new paper in *American Antiquity* indicates that Native Americans have engaged in games of chance using dice for more than 12,000 years. This finding, led by Robert Madden (a graduate student at Colorado State University), suggests that these ancient cultures had a sophisticated understanding of probability long before similar practices emerged in the Old World. The dice, described as 'binary lots,' typically had two sides and were found across various Native American tribes. While archaeologists previously traced the use of dice-like artifacts back 2,000 years, this research pushes the timeline back significantly, suggesting that the concept of using objects to generate random outcomes was established much earlier. Madden emphasizes the importance of ethnographic analogy in archaeology, which helps researchers infer the uses of ancient artifacts based on historical records of similar objects.

Key Figures

12,000 years

Duration Native Americans have been using dice

2,000 years

Previous timeline for the use of dice-like artifacts

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FAQ

Binary lots refer to rudimentary dice with two sides used by Native Americans for games of chance.

It challenges the belief that probability concepts originated only in the Old World, showing that Native Americans had similar practices much earlier.

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