dice - thousands of years old

The forerunner of dice were probably knucklebones (ankle bones of sheep) which were marked on 4 sides. Modern dice have been around for quite some time though. Dice equivalent to modern dice have been found in Egyptian tombs dating from 2000 BC.

Here is a history of dice that I can be found at awesomedice:

history of dice from awesomedice.com

There are a variety of ways to cheat with dice. A "shape" is a die that is slightly rectangular. Such dice are slightly more likely to land on the longer sides.

A "loaded" die has weight added just below the surface of one side. The opposite side will be more likely to show up.

A "top" or "bottom" die has one or more numbers repeated so that certain numbers are more likely and others will never show up. Better be careful with these. You'll need good slight of hand to introduce these into a throw and then remove them before someone notices.