A. St. Clair, Carving as Craft: Palatine East and the Greco-Roman Bone and Ivory Carving Tradition, John Hopkins University Press (Baltimore and London, 2003) 113-114.  N. Purcell, “Literate Games: Roman Urban Society and the Game of Alea,” Past & Present, vol.147, (1995) 3-37.

2011.01
Three Roman Gaming Dice
Bone. Province of Britain.
Height 10mm, length 9mm, width 10mm
Height 9mm, length 9mm, width 8mm
Height 8.5mm, length 8mm, width 7mm

Three small carved cubic bone dice, with single ring and dot motifs.
Dice with six faces (known variously as kubos, tessera, or talus) made from bone and ivory were common in the Greco-Roman world from at least the seventh century BC, used both for gaming and for casting lots.  Ancient dice are typically smaller than their modern equivalents, as they were generally carved from a solid piece of bone, often a knuckle, thus limiting potential size.  Larger dice could be created by cutting a section of a long bone and using a bone plug to close the cavity.  
Dice were marked with dots: either drilled holes that could be filled with coloured paste, or ring and dot motifs.  Single, double, and triple ring motifs were all used, with double ring and dot motifs being the most common.  Most (though not all) ancient dice arranged the values in the same fashion as modern dice: with the sum of opposite faces totalling seven.
Various dice games were played throughout the Roman Empire, including the widespread game of alea, which claimed to have been created by Palamedes during the Trojan War, and was recorded as being played by the emperors Augustus, Gaius, and Claudius. 
As dice are so common in the ancient period it is difficult to date these examples without accurate provenance and findspot information. 

Donated to the Classics Museum by Janet Quartermaine, Paul Johnson, and Dr Douglas Kelly.

A. St. Clair, Carving as Craft: Palatine East and the Greco-Roman Bone and Ivory Carving Tradition, John Hopkins University Press (Baltimore and London, 2003) 113-114.  N. Purcell, “Literate Games: Roman Urban Society and the Game of Alea,” Past & Present, vol.147, (1995) 3-37.