Roman dodecahedrons remain one of the most enigmatic artifacts from the past: despite more than 130 of them having been found over the past couple of centuries in Europe, all dating to around the 2nd to 4th centuries AD, we still have no idea what they were used for. Although we have vast amounts of text and artwork from the Roman period, they are neither mentioned nor depicted in any known sources.
The earliest mention of a Roman dodecahedron is much closer in time to us than the Romans: at a meeting of the Royal Antiquity Society of London, on 28th June 1739, the minutes record that a Mr George North brought along an object made of “mixed metal, or ancient brass, consisting of 12 sides with an equal number of perforations within them, all of unequal diameter… Each corner of the sides, or faces being five in number, every facing has a knob or little ball fixed to it.”
Adding to the mystery is that of all the Roman dodecahedrons found so far, none have been found near Rome or even Italy – instead the vast majority have been uncovered in the lands of ancient Gaul and Britannia (modern day France and Britain). And in one case, an object similar to a dodecahedron has been found, but instead of 12 faces, it has 20 (an icosahedron).
In a recent video (embedded below), popular archaeology YouTuber Stefan Milo discussed what we know about these enigmatic objects, as well as the most popular theories about what their function might have been – and why nearly all of them fail to explain certain elements of the mystery, from the lack of markings or wear on the objects, through to the reason for the various sized holes in each face.
These theories include that the Roman dodecahedrons are a surveying device; that they might have been used in games or fortune-telling; that they were used as ‘proof of craftmanship skill’; that they were used in weaving or jewellery-making; and even that they are candle-holders.
What did come to my mind as I watched the video though was the similar debate that has taken place concerning the Skara Brae artifacts – which, while they are not Roman in origin, are also small objects with odd designs that remain a mystery to us.
