Trove of Hellenistic-era knuckle bones deciphered

Kan English · Aug 16, 2022 · 5m

A rare assemblage of “astragali”—animal knuckle bones used for gaming and divination—dating from the Hellenistic period some 2,300 years ago has been uncovered in the Maresha-Bet Guvrin National Park in southern Israel. The exceptionally large collection, the results of which were first published recently in the British archaeological journal Levant, was discovered by Dr. Ian Stern several years ago in underground caves beneath the ancient city of Maresha. He told reporter Arieh O’Sullivan that many of the bones had Greek inscriptions on them and were likely used by the mosaic of cultures…