Ancient Native American Dice Reveal Early Understanding of Probability

In a fascinating exploration of ancient artifacts, Madden identified 565 Native American dice from 45 sites, with an additional 94 artifacts likely being dice as well. Excluding objects with drilled holes or indistinct markings, Madden focused on items dating back 12,000 years to the end of the last Ice Age in regions like Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Unlike modern gambling, these dice games were social, fostering relationships through fair play without a 'house' edge. They served as a form of exchange, promoting enduring connections between groups unfamiliar with each other. This research challenges the notion that probabilistic thinking originated in the Old World during the Bronze Age, suggesting that Native Americans engaged in games of chance and probabilistic reasoning 6,000 years earlier. While not formal probability theory, these games relied on random outcomes and probabilistic regularities, reshaping our understanding of the global history of probabilistic thought.