The mysterious object, called a "Roman dodecahedron," was unearthed in the summer of 2023 during an archaeological dig in a farmer's field near the Lincolnshire Footage of Norton Disney.Image credit: Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group
Posted on 01/31/2024 7:45:19 PM PST by SunkenCiv
More than 100 dodecahedrons have now been found in northwestern Europe, but archaeologists still don't know what they were used for.
Amateur archaeologists in England have unearthed a stunning Roman dodecahedron — a mysterious class of objects that has baffled experts for centuries.
The dodecahedron — a 12-sided metal shell about the size of a grapefruit — was found this past summer during a dig in a farmer's field near the Lincolnshire village of Norton Disney, located about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Sheffield.
A previous geophysical survey, which had detected underground areas where the Earth's magnetic field had been disturbed, had revealed what looked like a buried pit at the site, and metal detectorists had already found Roman coins and broaches in the same field, said Richard Parker, the secretary of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, an organization of local volunteers...
So far, archaeologists have found Iron Age artifacts near the village that predate Roman rule and hundreds of pieces of Roman pottery from the second and third centuries A.D.; and the remains of a Roman villa have also been found near the village, he said...
Roman rule continued until about A.D. 410, by which time most of the legions had left to defend continental Europe from barbarian invasions and the British were left to fend for themselves.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
The mysterious object, called a "Roman dodecahedron," was unearthed in the summer of 2023 during an archaeological dig in a farmer's field near the Lincolnshire Footage of Norton Disney.Image credit: Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group
The Roman Gadget Archaeologists Can’t Figure Out
YouTube | March 29, 2022 | Sideprojects
Posted on 4/3/2022, 9:52:09 AM by SunkenCiv
https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4051982/posts
Thanks!
The working theory of dodecahedrons is that they were used to knit clothing. That seems about right to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76AvV601yJ0
The working theory of dodecahedrons is that they were used to knit clothing. That seems about right to me. If this is correct, each Roman household would have had a few.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76AvV601yJ0
That rings a bell. The video linked in the earlier topic may cover that hypothesis.
That’s really odd. I’ve never heard of these before.
Looks to me like a projectile used in conjunction with some sot of launcher, such as a catapult or perhaps a slingshot like type of weapon.
I saw a documentary which explained they were used for knitting gloves and socks - necessary in N. Europe. I recall someone, who had figured out how to use it, showing how the knitting was done.
Starting to knit a garment is probably the most difficult part of knitting. A tool that can hold the yarn while you are developing a pattern would be very useful.
I think it’s a die to play dungeons and dragons
I see holes.
Small ones.
Maybe the one with small holes were for fine threads?
I hadn’t thought of that. 🤣
I think the mystery is still open.
If they find a tetrahedron, a cube, a octahedron, a pentagonal trapezohedron, a icosahedron, and a copy of “The Dungeon Masters Guide”, I think I can help solve the mystery.
I would have guessed they are gauges of some sort (for metal rods or wooden dowls) that also determined how straight they were by dropping it at the top and seeing if it hit the ground. If it didn’t catch in a kink or bend, it was straight enough. The knobs keep the faces from wearing.
But that doesnt explain the 20-sider with the tiny holes.
Part of me wonders if colored or marked discs weren’t inserted behind the smaller holes via the largest one and the thing thrown in some sort of outdoor gambling game. That doesn’t make much sense for the 20-sider, either.
I need to see the videos showing how it was used for knitting.
Some sort of sex toy?
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