It is an upright, hollow cuboid of copper-alloy plate designed to sit level on a flat surface. The top of the dice tower is open, allowing for the introduction of dice, and it contains three levels of projecting baffles which would produce random motion in the dice as they fell through the tower. The dice would then emerge at the base of the tower via a miniature flight of steps. The dice, while emerging, would ring three bells which formerly hung above the exit. One of these bells survives intact.
Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire is a 13-episode documentary series that starts at the very end of the Roman Republic, and then follows the ups and downs of the empire through the 5th century and the overthrow of the boy emperor Romulus Augustulus in 476 AD.
This is an extremely well-done series that originally aired on the History Channel (remember when it was about more than nonsensical ancient aliens shows?). The series is heavy on re-enactments interrspered with commentary from academic experts who do an excellent job of describing and contextualizing the events of the ancient Rome.
