Archaeologists in Miory District Find a Gaming Die Unusual for Belarus
During summer archaeological excavations near the village of Dryhutsi in the Miory District, scientists discovered an object rare for Belarusian archaeology — a bone gaming die from the 16th century. It was found in the layer of a burned building from the second half of the 16th century, writes sb.by.
The expedition of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, led by senior researcher Marat Klimov, explored the site of a noble manor that existed in the mid-to-second half of the 16th century. According to a preliminary version, the manor was burned by the troops of Ivan the Terrible in 1563-1579 during the Livonian War.
The findings suggest that before the war, the manor was a wealthy center of trade. Archaeologists found fragments of imported pottery, which may indicate active trade links between Polotsk and Riga.
The most unusual find was a small bone die, used for gambling. Such items are very rarely encountered in Belarusian archaeology. Its discovery suggests that the inhabitants of the manor not only engaged in trade but also had common pastimes for that era.
Archaeologists plan to continue their research in subsequent field seasons to more accurately determine the circumstances of the manor's destruction and learn about the daily lives of its inhabitants.
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