Provenance:
The John J. Slocum Collection, Providence, Rhode Island (1914-1997).
Ancient Objects Auction, Providence, Rhode Island, Auction 2, 10 June 2018, Part of Lot 80.
Arte Primitivo, New York, Auction 83, 12 July 2016, Part of Lot 471.

These two pieces were likely used to play astragalos or knucklebone. Astragalos was a  popular game played among Greek children in antiquity. J.J. Slocum was an avid bibliophile, numismatist, and antiquarian. Beyond his exceptional collection of rare books and medieval crusader coins, he had collected antiquities. These were mostly acquired while serving as a US diplomate to Germany and Egypt in the 1960s. He would later go on to work with the Smithsonian Institution, serve on President Regan's Cultural Property Advisory Committee, and be given the title Trustee Emeritus from the Archaeological Institute of America.