around 2500–2300 BCE
Burnt City Dice
Ancient elongated dice from Shahr-e Sukhteh
Shahr-e Sukhteh (meaning "The Burnt City") is an archaeological site in eastern Iran corresponding to a Bronze Age urban settlement. Shahr-e Sukhteh was one of the world's largest early cities. It appeared around 3200 BCE and burned down three times before finally being abandoned in 1800 BCE.
![Burnt City Dice Burnt City Dice](burnt-city-dice-assets/image.jpg)
These ancient dice are among the world's oldest known and were excavated from Shahr-e Sukhteh together with a wooden backgammon-like gaming board. Four wooden dice and other pieces were found in grave 731. The dice are parallelepipeds and display numeration from 1 to 4 along the long faces following a variable order. They are estimated to have been crafted around 2500–2300 BCE.