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The Tuscanian dice or dice of Toscanella are a pair of dice, found in 1848 in the town of
(PDF), S. A. Yatsemirsky
The Tuscanian dice or dice of Toscanella are a pair of dice, found in 1848 in the town of Tuscania
Tuscania is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Viterbo, Lazio Region, Italy. Until the late 19th century the town was known as Toscanella.
History
Antiquity
According to the legend, Tuscania was founded by Aeneas' son, Ascanius, whe ...
, on which are inscribed the numerals 'one' to 'six' in Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
** Etrusca ...
. It is one of the primary pieces of evidence for the numerals of the Etruscan language.
The sides are inscribed,
:''θu, zal, ci, huθ, maχ, śa'',
which are thought to have been pronounced
: Ê°u sal i utÊ° akÊ°(or maybe akÊ·Ê° and ƒa
Opposite faces of both dice display ''θu'' and ''huθ'', ''zal'' and ''maχ'', and ''ci'' and ''śa''.
It is universally agreed, based on other inscriptions, that ''θu, zal, ci'' and ''maχ'' are 'one', 'two', 'three' and 'five'. ''Huθ'' and ''śa'' must therefore be 'four' and 'six', but it is debated which is which.
Etruscan dice marked with pips show two arrangements, an older (1:2, 3:4, 5:6), with each pair differing by one, and a younger (1:6, 2:5, 3:4), with each pair adding to seven (the now universal pattern). In both arrangements, the numbers 3 and 4 are opposite each other, so ''śa'', which is opposite ''ci'' 'three', must be the Etruscan word for 'four'.
However, this conclusion contradicts a long line of evidence that ''śa'' is 'six' and ''huθ'' is 'four'.Etruscan numerals: problems and results of research(PDF), S. A. Yatsemirsky
References
{{reflist Etruscan inscriptions Dice