**1. Introduction**

There is substantial knowledge on ancient games, especially on the use of board games in the ancient cultures of the Middle East (see for example: [1]), to the extent that for some of them, detailed rules for playing and general utilization are sufficiently well understood (Finkel 2007 [1], pag. 16–32), as is their role in social activities and cultural transmission [2,3]. However, investigations on ancient gaming materials in Europe are rather limited. Only in the last thirty years have several thematic exhibitions focused on the games in ancient times and the materials related to the games themselves [4–8].

The recent find of an unusual assemblage of small objects during the archaeological excavation at Villa del Foro (Alessandria, Italy) [9], possibly related to gaming practices in Pre-Roman cultures, has prompted an in depth characterization of the materials as an aid to the interpretation of their manufacturing and use [10,11]. The assemblage is composed of cubic dice, washer-like pieces, and small spheres. The archaeometric characterization of the objects is presented here, as well their interpretation based on the available knowledge of coeval similar objects.
