ROMAN DODECAHEDRON

This mysterious object was recently discovered in Lincolnshire – but what was its purpose? Britain c.300 CE

The Roman dodecahedrons are one of archaeology’s greatest mysteries. Did they serve a military purpose? Civilian? Religious? No one really knows, but numerous theories exist as to these strange objects’ function. Examples have been found in military camps, the St Pierre Cathedral in Switzerland and even a bathhouse, all dating from between the 2nd and 4th centuries CE. The first dodecahedron was discovered at a site in Germany in 1739 and since then over 100 of these strange objects have been found across Europe, with 33 of them unearthed on British shores. Unusually, not a single example has been discovered in Italy itself — nor can any mention of them be found in Roman literature. While no two dodecahedrons are exactly the same, the examples discovered so far all have 12…

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All About History (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 147

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