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Paper short abstract:

Ancient Greek gods can be pictured playing knucklebones games on vases or mirrors. Knucklebones, used for games, were discovered in ancient Greek sanctuaries. According to Pausanias, one of three Charites was holding a knucklebone. What meanings can an astragalus acquire in the hands of gods?

Paper long abstract:

Ancient gods have become protagonists of games in a virtual reality: there are an important number of video games where the main characters are ancient Greek gods, for example a game named “Zeus. Master of Olympus” or “Hades”. Therefore, if we look thoroughly at ancient Greece, we will see that there are a certain number of sources representing gods playing games. For example, Pan, Eros, or Aphrodite can be pictured playing knucklebones games on ancient Greek vases or mirrors.

Mentioned in ancient sources as ἀστράγαλος in Greek and talus in Latin, the astragalus or knucklebone is part of the hind-leg in four footed mammals such as sheep or goat and was used as gaming piece. Knucklebones were usually modified for the purpose of games: smoothed, perforated, inscribed, or filled with lead. However, scholars suggest that games weren’t the only sphere where knucklebones were used: for instance, astragali filled with lead could have been used like weights in ancient Greece. Furthermore, astragali were discovered in ancient Greek sanctuaries but their function is still poorly analysed.

Pausanias (II A.D.) mentions a sanctuary in Elis, in the Peloponnese, dedicated to the Charites, goddesses. Situated in the agora, this sanctuary sheltered a statuary group of the three Charites made of wood and gold: one of three goddesses was holding a knucklebone. Pausanias explains that the knucklebone was used in a game for young people, although his description does not explain why precisely one of the Charites holds the object. Does it mean that they were worshipped by individuals using knucklebones in games/rituals? How could we define the interaction between the goddesses and the people present in the sanctuary? Can other gods make use of knucklebones, why and how? Finally, what meanings can an astragalus acquire in the hands of gods?