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What was a Roman Dodecahedron used for?

ArchaeC

Roman dodecahedra have been found in Britain, much of Europe, but not Italy. The context of use is uncertain, but some have been found in areas of military or funerary activity. Others have been discovered in coin hoards, suggesting they were objects of value. Some dodecahedra were found in baths, one was found in a theatre, another on a river bed.

Dodecahedra are usually cast in copper alloy, of varying design, size between around 4cm to 11cm diameter. The holes on each face are of different sizes and decoration varies with circles, lines and dots being common.

To date, the purpose of these objects has eluded archaeologists, but suggestions have included: Measuring device, knitting tool, metal worker practice piece, or less seriously, spaghetti measure.

What did the Romans call these dodecahedra?

How did the Romans use them?

There are no incorrect answers, as yet!

       
Norton Disney Archaeology Group

https://theconversation.com/beautifully-crafted-roman-dodecahedron-discovered-in-lincoln-but-what-were-they-for-229131

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_dodecahedron

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  • I saw these on Digging for Britain, or one that had been dug up anyway, which was the biggest yet found, I'm stumped, as they don't seem to have been any good for textile work, games or weapons, which really only leave's "ritual", which is an unsatisfactory answer. Could they have some sort of apprentice piece? I think the answer may lie not with the Romans themselves, but with some of the peope they has as auxillaries? The nearest thing I could think of are those Pictish orb's, 4 sided with a raised circle on all 4 sides, nobody knows what they were for either. 

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    I think you could be on to something with 

    TheCatWoman said:
    some of the peope they has as auxillaries

    Moreover it is interesting that these objects have not yet been found in Italy, but if not the Romans, then who were the people in other European countries who used them?

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    Look at a map of the Roman Empire and take pretty much any of the peoples outside of Romes borders. There's a lot of places that have never been properly explored, a lot of feoderati were from areas just outside the borders. A surprising amount of German and pre-Viking Scandinavians volunteered as feoderati, the link between pre-Viking Scandinavia and Rome is still relatively unknown, but we do know they were there, there was a lso a lot of trading going on between the people near the borders and the Romans within.

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  • in reply to ArchaeC

    Look at a map of the Roman Empire and take pretty much any of the peoples outside of Romes borders. There's a lot of places that have never been properly explored, a lot of feoderati were from areas just outside the borders. A surprising amount of German and pre-Viking Scandinavians volunteered as feoderati, the link between pre-Viking Scandinavia and Rome is still relatively unknown, but we do know they were there, there was a lso a lot of trading going on between the people near the borders and the Romans within.

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