Drooid Logo
Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Study Uncovers 12,000-Year-Old Native American Dice

4/10/2026

42 10 Full Breakdown

1 of 1

Story summary
  • A study in American Antiquity identifies more than 600 two-sided dice, called 'binary lots,' made by Native Americans over 12,000 years ago and predating Bronze Age dice by about 6,000 years.
  • Lead researcher Robert J. Madden developed criteria to classify these artifacts, found in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico, and made from wood or bone.
  • Critics, including anthropologist Jelmer Eerkens, say more archaeological context is needed to confirm their function.