12,000-year-old dice discovered in the United States

In the United States, a study by Colorado State University found that hunter-gatherers of the western Great Plains were making dice more than 12,000 years ago.

Ancient dice in North America

The discovered artifacts are significantly older than previously known examples from the Old World.

Age of the findings

The new data shows that such objects appeared more than 6,000 years earlier than previously believed.

Colorado State University study

The research covers a wide range of archaeological data across the United States.

Study author

The research was conducted by PhD candidate Robert Madden.

He analyzed 659 artifacts, including 565 confirmed and 94 probable items.

Geography of the archaeological finds

Artifacts were identified across multiple ancient habitation sites.

Distribution across states

A total of 57 archaeological sites were recorded across 12 states.

Folsom culture and earliest samples

The earliest finds are linked to the Folsom culture.

Dating of the artifacts

The oldest samples are dated to approximately 12,845–12,255 years ago.

They were discovered in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, as reported by the journal American Antiquity.