Post by David / AmicusMy little dictionary says that CANIS besides meaning dog is also a bad
dice roll.
I think that I once heard that VENUS is a roll of double sixes.
Are there Latin names for other dice rolls?
This L&S entry tells a lot;
ālĕa, ae, f. of uncer. origin; Curtius asserts an obscure connection
with the words for bone; Sanscr. asthi; Zend, açti; Gr. ὀστέον; Lat. os
(ossis).
A game with dice, and in gen., a game of hazard or chance. There were
among the Romans two kinds of dice, tesserae and tali, Cic. Sen. 16, 58.
The tesserae had six sides, which were marked with I. II. III. IV. V.
VI.; the tali were rounded on two sides, and marked only on the other
four. Upon one side there was one point, unio, an ace, like the ace on
cards, called canis; on the opp. side, six points called senio, six,
sice; on the two other sides, three and four points, ternio and
quaternio. In playing, four tali were used, but only three tesserae.
They were put into a box made in the form of a tower, with a strait
neck, and wider below than above, called fritillus, turris, turricula,
etc. This box was shaken, and the dice were thrown upon the
gaming-board. The highest or most fortunate throw, called Venus, jactus
Venereus or basilicus, was, of the tesserae, three sixes, and of the
tali when they all came out with different numbers. The worst or lowest
throw, called jactus pessimus or damnosus, canis or canicula, was, of
the tesserae, three aces, and of the tali when they were all the same.
The other throws were valued acc. to the numbers. When one of the tali
fell upon the end (in caput) it was said rectus cadere, or assistere,
Cic. Fin. 3, 16, 54, and the throw was repeated. While throwing the
dice, it was customary for a person to express his wishes, to repeat the
name of his mistress, and the like. Games of chance were prohibited by
the Lex Titia et Publicia et Cornelia (cf. Hor. C. 3, 24, 58), except in
the month of December, during the Saturnalia, Mart. 4, 14, 7; 5, 85; 14,
1; Suet. Aug. 71; Dig. 11, 5. The character of gamesters, aleatores or
aleones, was held as infamous in the time of Cicero, cf. Cic. Cat. 2, 5,
10; id. Phil. 2, 23, although there was much playing with aleae, and old
men were esp. fond of this game, because it required little physical
exertion, Cic. Sen. 16, 58; Suet. Aug. 71; Juv. 14, 4; cf. Jahn, Ov. Tr.
2, 471; Rupert. ad Tac. G. 24, 5: provocat me in aleam, ut ego ludam,
Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 75.—Ludere aleā or aleam, also sometimes in aleā: in
foro aleā ludere, Cic. Phil. 2, 23, 56; Dig. 11, 5, 1: ludit assidue
aleam, Poët. ap. Suet. Aug. 70: aleam studiosissime lusit, Suet. Claud.
33; so id. Ner. 30; Juv. 8, 10: repetitio ejus, quod in aleā lusum est,
Dig. 11, 5, 4.—Hence, in aleā aliquid perdere, Cic. Phil. 2, 13:
exercere aleam, Tac. G. 24: indulgere aleae, Suet. Aug. 70: oblectare se
aleā, id. Dom. 21: prosperiore aleā uti, to play fortunately, id. Calig.
41.—Trop.: Jacta alea esto, Let the die be cast! Let the game be
ventured! the memorable exclamation of Cæsar when, at the Rubicon, after
long hesitation, he finally decided to march to Rome, Suet. Caes. 32,
ubi v. Casaub. and Ruhnk.—
Ed