The Roman Dodecahedron - An ancient mystery solved? - May 4, 2014

A Roman dodecahedron is a small hollow object made of bronze or stone, with a dodecahedral shape: twelve flat pentagonal faces, each having a circular hole in the middle which connects to the hollowed-out center.

About a hundred of these dodecahedra have been found from Wales to Hungary and to the east of Italy, with most found in Germany and France, dating from around 200 AD and ranging from 4 cm to 11 cm in size, they also vary in terms of textures. Most of them are made of bronze but some also seem to be made of stone.

The function or use of the dodecahedra is unknown; no mention of them has been found in contemporary accounts or pictures of the time. Speculated uses include candlestick holders (wax was found inside one example); dice; survey instruments;devices for determining the optimal sowing date for winter grain; that they were used to calibrate water pipes; and army standard bases. It has also been suggested that they may have been religious artifacts of some kind.

TheMartinhallett wanted to see what they might have been used for so he got one made with a 3D printer and, well watch to see what they can do...

 
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