#RomanTechnology STEM Challenge - Ancient Roman Dice Towers

The first time I saw a picture of this artifact, I was immediately struck by how modern it looked.

I mean, I can tell it's ancient (4th Century CE, in fact), but its function made me think of DND gamers I've seen in action. They like the practicality and efficiency of dropping dice into the device and not losing them in a wild roll on the table. The dice go in the top and come out the bottom in a nice little contained tray. But let's be honest - they also like the flair. Dice towers give that air of professionalism and experience every dungeon master wants. They're just cool.

After I started reading up on this particular one, I was hooked on turning it into a Roman Technology lesson for my students. The Romans called these towers FRITILLI, PYRGI, or TURRICULI, and soldiers loved them because they prevented cheating that happened more easily with manual rolling. Archaeologists found this particular one near a Roman fort in Germany, and it's named after the nearby villages of Vettweiss and Froitzheim. The artifact sits in the LVR-Landes Museum in Bonn, Germany, and I don't think it's been published. It is a STUNNING object. The Latin on it says "PICTOS VICTOS HOSTIS DELETA LUDETE SECURI" (on the front) and "UTERE FELIX VIVAS" (around the top sides and back). These lines may hint at where the tower was used originally and who owned it. "The Picts (an ancient British tribe) have been conquered. The enemy has been destroyed. Play in safety. Use (me) and live lucky." Could a Roman soldier stationed in ancient Britain have brought his treasured dice tower with him to his new station on the German frontier? Possibly. It's so endearing that the dice tower talks to the player/owner - I could not have left behind my friendly dice tower that told me to use him either!

I'm not the only one that thinks this thing is clever. You can 3D print replicas and buy cheap ones made of wood, even though the original is made of copper alloy. And I'm not gonna pretend I didn't buy one cuz I did! The one I purchased came in slender wooden pieces that had to be assembled. I spray-painted the parts first and then used wood glue to keep them together. When I tried it for the first time, I was struck by the sound it made! The dice clatter their way down the shute and come out with a bang. So dramatic! You can hear my model here.

My students absolutely rocked this STEM challenge. After learning about numerous ancient Roman dice towers, they were tasked with designing and sketching their own. After collecting their tools (cardboard, masking tape, and scissors), they got to work bringing their sketches to life. They kept requesting more and more time to perfect their models. After creating some Roman dice replicas, they tested their dice towers for randomness by using some simple probability reporting. The results proved that dice towers work well at preventing cheating. They also played dice games with them - after all, that's what they're meant to do!

One student went above and beyond with her model painting little dice-themed hares and foxes chasing each other. I was so impressed with this model, that I asked if I could keep it. I still display it in my home office.

All information about this #RomanTechnology STEM challenge is available here and on my Website (as always). I hope your students enjoy this lesson as much as mine did!

It truly is amazing what you can create with cardboard and tape and learn about the ancient Romans along the way!