Han Dynasty
Maximum height 9.2cm, width
9.7cm
Unearthed in Lingtai County, Gansu
Province
Preserved
in Lingtai County Museum
This set of bronze six-dice
game players consist of four human figurines all of which having broad nose and
big mouth and wearing loose-sleeve robes, two having hair buns at the back of the head while the other two having kerchief on
the hair; four players are in different postures and expressions: one of them
raising up head with body slanting forward slightly, one of them drooping arms
down with hanging shoulders, one of them revealing his naked chest and arms
seems to grab something and one of them waiting silently with bent legs and
slanted body; their facial expressions
aredifferent as following:
happy or angry or in
deep thought or sad presenting vividly various reactions and psychological
changes of these players in playing the game and bearing a very strong artistic
appeal.
These four figurines are sitting face to
face when unearthed in the tomb and the rectangular-column-shaped ivory chessmen
(three pieces are in good condition while the other pieces are broken) are
placed among the players. The six-dice
game is a kind of
ancient intelligence game which prevails in the Han Dynasty.