15 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Four-face ivory dice found at Keezhadi excavation site in India

The Tamil Nadu Archaeological department along with the Archaeological Survey of India has unearthed rectangular ivory dice,  in the excavation site in Keezhadi, Sivaganga district.

The dice was unearthed during the eighth phase of excavation. According to C Santhalingam, a Madurai-based archaeologist (retired) and founder of Pandya Nadu Centre for Historical Research, it’s a tool for entertainment for the elite class of people in the days of yore.

Sources in the team told IANS that this is the first time that a rectangular dice has been unearthed at Keezhadi while cubical dice was found under the earth during the earlier phases of the excavation.

The village of Keezhadi rests in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu.
The village of Keezhadi rests in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu. Source

In a statement, the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department said the dice was unearthed at a depth of 30 to 40 cm below the ground. The dice is 4.5 cm in length, 0.9 cm in height, and 0.9 cm in thickness.

Officials said it has marks (dot surrounded by circles) on four sides indicating numerals — one, two, three, and four.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



This unearthed dice was known as ‘Pagadaikai’ in Tamil literature. It’s a four-faced dice.

The carbon dating of charcoal during the excavation at Keezhadi in 2017 has found that the settlement there went back to 200 B.C. This proved that urban civilization had existed in Tamil Nadu since the Sangam age.

The unearthing of several exquisitely crafted pots and other materials from Keezhadi during the earlier phases of the excavation has proved that the settlement had trade links with North India and the western world during the Sangam age.

More than 5,300 artifacts were unearthed from Keezhadi during the earlier excavation and the Tamil Nadu Archaeological department is setting up a museum at the site for display of these artifacts.

Related Articles

Scottish Archaeologists unearth ‘missing’ Aberdeenshire monastery linked to first written Gaelic

19 November 2023

19 November 2023

One of the biggest mysteries in Scottish archaeological history has been solved with the discovery of the monastery site where...

Oldest Direct Evidence for Honey Collecting in Africa

18 April 2021

18 April 2021

Honey is an important food source that has been considered a very important healing source in the history of civilizations....

A rural necropolis from Late Antiquity discovered in northeastern France

5 November 2022

5 November 2022

Inrap archaeologists have unearthed a small rural necropolis from the late 5th century (Late Antiquity) at Sainte-Marie-aux-Chênes in northeastern France....

Remarkably Preserved Bronze Age Urns, Thousands of Years Old, Unearthed in Germany

13 May 2025

13 May 2025

What appeared to be an ordinary stretch of County Road 17 between the towns of Moisburg and Immenbeck has turned...

Research Uncovers a Long-Isolated North African Human Lineage in the Central Sahara from Over 7,000 Years Ago

4 April 2025

4 April 2025

A recent study conducted by a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, including senior author...

Archaeologists discover that Iranian farmers grew rice about 3,000 years ago

18 May 2023

18 May 2023

Archaeologists excavating in Iran’s Mazandaran region have revealed that Iranian farmers were cultivating rice as far back as 3000 years...

4,500-Year-Old Idols Discovered at Tavşanlı Höyük in Western Anatolia

16 September 2025

16 September 2025

Archaeologists in Türkiye have uncovered a remarkable set of artifacts at Tavşanlı Höyük (Tavşanlı Mound), one of the largest Bronze...

1,600-Year-Old Rare Greek Letter-Shaped Weights and Scale Found in Türkiye’s Uzuncaburç

9 July 2025

9 July 2025

Archaeologists have made a significant discovery at the ancient city of Uzuncaburç in Türkiye’s southern Mersin province — a complete...

Cosmic cataclysm 1,500 years ago may have caused downfall of the Hopewell Culture

3 February 2022

3 February 2022

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati find evidence of cosmic cataclysm 1,500 years ago at 11 ancient sites in three...

Researchers may have found 3,000-year-old evidence of Yue (Amputation), one of the five punishments practiced in ancient China

4 May 2022

4 May 2022

According to the South China Morning Post, researchers in China believe a skeleton discovered in a tomb in the country’s...

Unearthing the Origins of Carnival: Evidence of Ancient Summer Festivals in Pre-Colonial Brazil

11 February 2025

11 February 2025

A new study suggests that pre-colonial people in Brazil gathered during the summer months to feast on migratory fish and...

Researcher found the head of the statue of Bacchus, inside a water channel near the ancient city of Cyrene in Libya

31 December 2023

31 December 2023

Libyan Archeology researcher, Issam Menfi found the head of the statue of Bacchus, which dates back to the Greek era,...

Urfa Castle Yields Mysterious Rock-Cut Tomb Possibly Tied to Abgar Dynasty—Early Christian Allies of Jesus

5 July 2025

5 July 2025

A recent archaeological breakthrough in southeastern Turkey has stirred excitement in the academic world. Deep within the inner citadel of...

Ancient DNA Reveals Missing Link in the Origins of Indo-European Languages Spoken by 40% of the World

6 February 2025

6 February 2025

A study published in the journal Nature has genetically identified the origins of the Indo-European language family, which includes over...

Ancient Celtic Bone Pen Found in Southern Germany

14 December 2024

14 December 2024

From August to October this year, the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (LAD) in the Stuttgart Regional Council...