WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE THINGS?
In the Roman Empire, from Wales to the Mediterranean, about 100 of these things have been found, and still nobody knows what they are.
"Called 'dodecahedrons' after their shape, which is a dodecahedron, and so easily gave them the model for things that look like dodecahedrons. Each one is a hollow stone or bronze object, 4–12 centimeters (1.5–5 in) in diameter, with 12 flat pentagonal faces and holes of varying sizes on each face. Small knobs protrude from each corner.
"While the Romans were usually obsessive and meticulous about keeping written records about anything and everything they did, nobody has ever seen an owner's manual, found a definitive list or descriptions of these objects.
The closest we have is Plutarch, who is not an object, just human, who had bought a store when he had flashed on the genius of 'reading the stars' for college kids. He could peek at the stars and render detailed 12X12 charts of each student's personal reading, roll them up and tie them with a bow, and place a box of them at each register, oh, and call them a punchy, "HOROSCOPES" for the average Roman citizen, who reportedly thought the mysterious scrolls were at least some sort of zodiacal instrument."
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.
Roman dodecahedra date from the 2nd or 3rd centuries CE. Which makes it so fascinating that ancient Romans call them dodecahedrons, which happens to be our exact word for them we use in today's new geometry.
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. 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
- fib widget
- knitting
- survey instruments
- devices for determining the optimal sowing date for winter grain. 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. This speculation is based on the fact that most of the examples have been found in Gallo-Roman areas.
Some have promoted the idea it's an ancient sex toy -- a frightening form of ....... dildo.
Are you playing Cat's in the Cradle? Is that a bootscraper?
