Knucklebones

Uncommon card · No. 111225

Knucklebones, also known as scatter jacks, snobs, astragaloi (singular: astragalus), tali, dibs, fivestones, jacks, jackstones, or jinks, among many other names, is a game of dexterity played with a number of small objects that are thrown up, caught, and manipulated in various manners. It is ancient in origin and is found in various cultures worldwide. The name "knucklebones" is derived from the Ancient Greek version of the game, which uses the astragalus (a bone in the ankle, or hock) of a sheep. However, different variants of the game from various cultures use other objects, including stones and metal cubes. The game was mentioned by Plato and Herodotus, the latter claiming although the game was famous in Athens it was not native to the city, ascribing Lydian origins to it (West of Anatolia), a story he recounts in his work The Histories. Modern knucklebones consist of six points, or knobs, projecting from a common base and are usually made of metal or plastic. The winner is the first...

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