Oldest known d20

[bayonetbrant]

If you guessed "Ancient Egypt" you're right

Let's go back in time. Way back. Keep going. OK, stop. You're in the Ptolemaic Period. It's somewhere around 304 to 30 B.C. You're in Egypt. You're playing Dungeons & Dragons. Except back then, it's more like Pyramids & Petsuchos.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art owns what may be the world's oldest d20 die. It's made out of serpentine and looks to be in remarkably good shape for its age.
The die is a little over an inch tall. The symbols carved into the die appear to be of Greek origin, in keeping with it coming from the Ptolemaic Period.
The symbols for eta, theta, and epsilon can be clearly seen. Maybe it was used to determine which frat the ancients were going to pledge, but I'd like to think it was used to roll for hit points for warrior and sphinx classes. Now all we need is for someone to 3D-model this so we can print it out and make up our own ancient Egyptian version of D&D.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57547697-1/ancient-d20-die-emerges-from-the-ashes-of-time/


dunno 'bout y'all, but when I read the article, the first thing that came to mind was this cartoon from the AD&D1 DMG

[bob48]

LOL - thats funny!

[eyebiter]

That cartoon is old, McLean did art for Dragon magazine back in the 1st edition D&D era.

[Martok]

Oh wow.  Amazing it's so well-preserved. 

[bayonetbrant]

That cartoon is old, McLean did art for Dragon magazine back in the 1st edition D&D era.

The original DMG was '79, and that cartoon was in there.  If it ran in Dragon before that, I didn't know about it.

[TheCommandTent]

Very cool thanks for sharing Brant!

[Double Deuce]

1st Edition AD&D cartoons were the best. Nice find on the die, thanks for the link.

[GJK]

Don Mikulec posted this on CSW in regards to the ancient D20:

"Found next to the die was a set of hieroglyphics that loosely translated to - 'You enter a cave and in front of you are three growling dogs' "

[Martok]

Heh!