Following the discovery of a leather belt in the Caherduggan Castle well, the same waterlogged feature produced another exceptional medieval object: a tiny gaming die in almost perfect condition.

Medieval die from the Caherduggan Castle well – note how the maker almost ran out of room for the 6

The die is probably broadly contemporary with the belt and of High Medieval date. Unlike modern dice, where opposite sides add to seven, this example is sequential: 1 opposite 2, 3 opposite 4 and 5 opposite 6.

The numbers were indicated using concentric rings, a common medieval convention. The maker struggled to fit the number six onto the tiny face, which measured only about 8 mm across.

Medieval die with scale, showing the tiny size of this exquisite object

By this point the well had produced a belt, shoes and a gaming die, offering an unusually personal collection of objects from medieval life.

The 1, 4 and 5 faces of the Caherduggan die