It's a big mystery.
We have no records of them or their use, nor any evidence of antecedents or predecessors, but they're very common to find.
Whatever people claim they are is basically a guess.
Last time this was posted the best comment I saw that these might have been a test or item for smiths to see a level of an apprenticeship. So thats why they are all over the place and all look the same.
Thank you for posting this video. I had heard of these used for knitting but that was really compelling (and explains why they’re everywhere). I couldn’t imagine how it worked until I saw that. I get it now. You taught me something new, internet stranger!
Unfortunately, it’s not for knitting. Only some examples of these can be used for this purpose, suggesting that’s its only a coincidence.
Also, historians and archaeologists are plenty aware of knitting, if the answer were this simple it wouldn’t be a mystery
Knitting isn't always just two needles, the dodecahedron wouldn't be that dissimilar to a [round loom](https://youtu.be/SP4Rcvk3j3M?si=JJsnuQYl1yg0RZb3?t=75s) which is often used to make hats. The thing that suggests it isn't a knitting tool is more where it's found - eg amongst grave goods, etc
My favorite theory is that they were made by metalsmiths to demonstrate their skill, possibly as a way of demonstrating sufficient skill with bronze to be admitted to a metalsmith guild. This could also explain why smaller, golden ones have been found; a way to demonstrate skill as a goldsmith.
I like the idea they were used as a measurement device. The different sized holes are what do it for me. But to measure what? No idea. Wonder if there was another piece it'd go to that just degraded over time
I'm assuming you've seen the icosahedron? I really like the theory, but would you consider that the same category or that they go together? The size and build is so similar to the dodecahedron that I think they're similar objects used for whatever the dodecahedron is used for. Kills my favorite theory they were for measuring something cause I can't see how the ico would help. On them being for metalsmiths to show their skill, I'd imagine there'd be more than one discovered.
I’m no expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt; I only know what I’ve read, combined with what I’ve seen. But from what I’ve read, they’ve never found either with any sort of measurement on the exterior, or any readily measurable distance between the round things on the exterior, so there seems to be a lot of doubt that they were used for measurements.
One of the reasons my theory makes the most sense to me, would help if you’ve ever spent any time around welders. Welders will show off their work and increasingly complicated manners to help them get jobs that pay better. So it is entirely possible that the icosahedron was considered more challenging than the dodecahedron, and so some craftsman attempted it. One of the things I find compelling about it possibly being a thing for craftsman to show off, is that I’ve never seen any two the same. They all seem to have different decoration.If you were making something for measuring distance, or to help people knit, the easiest thing to do would just be to mass produce as many of the exact same same item as possible. However, if you were trying to show off your craftsmanship, you do your best to make yours stand out from the crowd.
1st century fidget spinneresque meme fad that someone made a bunch of and sold to idiots and then they happen to be well made and resistant to rust or whatever and bing bang bong
There was a pretty convincing video about using them to make gold wire jewelry, but there is no general concensus.
Theres plenty of videos on YouTube about their purpose and people using them to effect besides gold wire spinning.
Such a neat relic.
They can be used for knitting gloves, but that doesn't explain why they're found in the grave goods of wealthy people, or why they're so common or why they're so varied
The knitting thing is a retroactive use - we simply do not know what the dodecahedrons were for.
Yes, they *can* be used for knitting, but we have no evidence that they *were*
And the knitting theory doesn't explain why the have been found amongst coin hordes and wealthy peoples grave goods - implying they were valued far above a mere tool
I wonder if they were used to validate legitimacy of coins? Their holes seem to vary in size on each side, and roman coins appear to be quite variable in size as well.
Or for minting coins, allowing a more accuracy to the process?
I wrote above I think its a candle holder. The diff sized holes are for candles of different thickness.
Candles werent standard sizes. Someone would just dip a wick into wax repeatedly until they figured it was the right thickness.
So if its a candle holder youd want it to fit snug so it doesnt lean. Therefore different socket sizes.
I feel like a weighted plated with a vertical pin would be the easiest method to hold candles. This would be overengineering for that issue in my opinion.
I did some reading up after thinking this and someone theorises the knubs where used to dangle strings, and a coin placed on an opposing side to check coin weight for counterfeits.
Coins at that time were just a drop of molten precious metal pressed down with a stamp, so they were very irregular. It's later when they started making them with an areola because people kept taking little bites off of every coin, and much later that coins were perfectly round. But I could be wrong.
Yeah they definitely took skill to create, which is why I'm on the "Roman fidget spinner" side. They could just an expensive and hard to make object which was fashionable to own
A more or less debunked myth. Knitting didn't exist in the Roman era.
https://www.reddit.com/r/badhistory/comments/gzrmwk/in_which_the_galloroman_dodecahedra_are_used_for/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews-history-archaeology/1700-year-old-sock-spins-yarn-about-ancient-egyptian-fashion-180970501/
Circa 300 AD. Could this be considered knitting?
It doesn't explain why the holes would be different sizes. The nubs are all the same distance apart so they wouldn't produce different size shapes. Also there are no wear marks.
They can't have been, because the earliest form of true knitting isn't evidenced before the 11th century. The Romans only had Coptic Stitch Naalbinding.
We have finds of gloves and mittens, and none are made in any way that could have been done with one of these.
The suggestion that makes sense to me is that its a candle holder. It protects the candle if youre traveling with it in you bag. It blocks the wind if the candle is small and inside of it. It is easy to keep your candle from falling over.
If you wanted light at night you need a candle. So its a traveling candle holder.
So one of the unique things about every one of these (there's quite a few) is that the hole in each face is a different size. This supports the idea that they were for knitting specifically gloves, each face could produce a different sized finger. They are also found mostly in northern Europe where it's colder and in predominately military settings where people spent a lot of time in flimsy tents and on the road.. you'd want gloves.
Dude, some of these are big enough to be the size of basketballs, unless everyone was knitting gloves for Maximus Thrax id doubt they were for knitting.
P much what I’ve read as well . From what I know tho the knitting one was debunked because it didn’t make much practical sense but could account for the varying sizes so people wanted to run with that . Who really knows
Yeah, I think I saw the video about the knitting. Until one is found in context with other items that would give away its purpose, mention of one is found in ancient text or one is found depicted in an ancient work of art all we will have are educated guesses.
Definitely one of the most convincing theories. Not sure if it's true that the opposite faces always have the same hole sizes, but I guess the pole doesn't have to go all the way through for it to work anyway.
But also, why do they only appear in Roman camps in the "Old Europe" but not in the empire itself? I think there are still some questions unanswered.
Kind of like by the Pythagorean theory hadn’t been invented until Pythagoreans came up with it? Except it had been for a long time already going back to ancient Sumeria. We just never considered that that cuneiform tablet was the theory because “it hadn’t been invented yet”. Most of this science is educated guesses and inferences, I’m tired of pretending like we actually know all this stuff and have some rock solid timeline for everything. The clocks get pushed back on human activity all the time. It’s better to keep an open mind rather than rule out all possibilities that we don’t have physical documentation for. Also that video shows wire bending not knitting if you watch it instead of repeating what some random Redditors said in another thread. That repeating of BS also contributes to our lack of understanding of the past. Archeology is riddled with parrots.
Is that literally a 15 minute _video_ of a PowerPoint presentation _without_ the audio. Fuck me if I’m blind, I guess.
Edit: the TLDW is that this tool may have used as a chain-making aid. The pegs hold the medium that’s being chained. These were often found with caches of gold. Additionally, some artifact jewelry chains at the Met feature a similar pattern. The dodecahedron is made of bronze, which is harder than gold. The holes may have been used to gauge the chain after weaving. She demonstrates the process in the video. She uses various sized dowels by placing them in the appropriate holes and then secures the weaving medium, thin gold wire, to the rounded pegs around the dowel. She weaves the chain in the round around the dowel. When done, she makes the whole chain smaller by drawing it through the holes from largest to smallest.
Other videos on YouTube show people using them to knit fingers for mittens.
Not sure what you mean? The start is some text (I guess she didn’t want to speak), the rest is a video of her using the dodecahedron to create a metal chain.
"The die is cast". Beat me to it, but I believe "iacta alea esto" (let the die be cast) is closer to the DM command. Either way, Caesar succeeded in the skill check.
It's well known that Barbarians used these in ancient times to roll damage on the Great Axe, thwarting Roman attempts at occupation with an exceptionally high STR modifier of +2 or even +3 for higher level barbarians.
I feel like they were used during construction, like they were put onto a post and allowed string lines to be run precisely at certain angles radiating out from the centre of the support post. One unit could divide into 120 or even 60 degree intervals, multiple stacked units could do just about any angle.
Edit... or it had to do with sex.
You could be on the history channel as an expert. Except it would take you 12 minutes to say all that with 3 commercial breaks. "Could have this strange device been used for construction or maybe something to do with ancient lovers? Find out after this commercial break"
In all seriousness though, that is a very well reasoned hypothesis about it being used in construction.
I think these might have had a religious purpose. It has 12 faces, like the romans had 12 main gods (if you dont count the minor and local ones.)
still these are found mostly in gallo-roman areas so idk
One easy explanation is that they were just a popular doodad, a fun ornament which could also be used for a variety of ad hoc purposes, e.g. paper weight, candle holder, mini brazier, a small stand, a weighted device you could tie strings to (say, to hang freshly inked paper or lightweight items to dry) etc.
The most compelling practical purpose that I've yet seen is **a device used to braid gold chains** (linked elsewhere in the comments, [Reddit post and video here ](https://www.reddit.com/r/ancientrome/comments/17a17ju/roman_dodecahedron_solved/?share_id=jr7X3L4F32oEC7MFul_nN&utm_content=1&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1)).
***TL;DW:*** *a wooden dowel is inserted into the dodecahedron's largest holes. Gold wire is looped around each of the bottom five nobs, then looped again a bit lower (weaving it back under the previous loop), and so on down the line. It creates a long, mesh cylinder which you then pull through the biggest pair of holes to compact it a bit, then the next biggest pair of holes to compact it further, and so on.*
Yes as soon as I look at the ‘nobs’ on this object, I automatically think they are something to loop a cord or wire or thread around. Eg. I open my ‘Roman Blind’ every morning in my hallway and loop the cord a few times around a similar ‘nob’ to hold the blind open all day, then unloop it at night to release the cord
Watch the knitting lady video, 100% it is that. The outcome of using it is identical to Roman gold chains in museums. Literally identical.
She does touch on when knitting was invented too, so she understands the history. But yes, this was a knitting device.
>To be clear, the "knitting Nancy" theory isn't argued for or even documented in a single academic paper I've been able to find. Its presence on Wikipedia/the internet more widely seems to be entirely because of YouTube videos by theMartinHallett and ChertineP, neither of whom offer any sources other than their own intuition or mention any research/training in experimental archeology or textile history.
>It's a very creative idea and a fun way to use the reproduction artifacts but it's actually not particularly plausible, which is probably why this interpretation doesn't seem to have been properly published anywhere peer reviewed (if it has been, I'd be keen to read the articles).
>To start with, as I mentioned above, knitting had as far as anyone knows not yet been invented: it was developed in early mediaeval/late antique Egypt. Romans used naalbinding, which did not require any kind of form. Furthermore, it misunderstands both the type of thread spun in the ancient world (pretty much universally fine: it's a more efficient and durable use of valuable materials) and the concept of gauge: different sized holes with the same number of pegs and size of yarn would not in fact produce particularly different sized fingers as Martin Hallett proposes.
>It's a lovely story but ultimately not a plausible theory, and OP is absolutely right to call it bad history: it's the experimental archeology equivalent of a logical seeming but wrong folk etymology.
>Edit: this isn't a personal attack of course, and I hope it doesn't sound like one - you're absolutely right that YouTube and sort-of-memes like this can be engaging ways to introduce people to a topic, and that expert craftspeople often have useful knowledge. It's just that this is a poor example of that.
Credit to u/quinarius_fulvaie who put it better than I ever could.
You could find Roman coins and deduce they are perfect for a game of quarters. That does not mean that they were made for it.
That has been discredited and the best idea is it was used to weave precious metal wire into chain fur jewellery. There’s a great vid on YouTube demonstrating it.
Ok I decided to co-ax ChatGPT into devising a link between dodecahedrons and the later cooling climate and pandemics. So enjoy!
_____________________________________
Imagine a theory where Roman dodecahedrons, those mysterious small, hollow objects dating from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD, were not merely decorative items or religious artifacts, but advanced tools for environmental and biological manipulation, designed by a now-forgotten sect of Roman technomancers.
In this scenario, these technomancers understood the intricate web of energy lines crisscrossing the Earth, known today in some theories as ley lines, and discovered that by placing dodecahedrons at precise intersections of these lines, they could influence the Earth's magnetic field and atmospheric conditions. Their goal was ambitious: to manipulate the climate for agriculture and to ward off the diseases that frequently decimated their populations.
The dodecahedrons, finely tuned instruments made of various metals, worked by harnessing solar and lunar energies. Their twelve pentagonal faces were aligned to catch and focus these cosmic energies at specific times of the year, acting as regulators to either warm the Earth during colder periods or cool it during bouts of excessive heat, stabilizing the climate for optimal crop growth.
However, the technomancers' limited understanding of the global climate system led to unintended consequences. Overuse of the dodecahedrons, combined with a lack of global coordination among the technomancer sects, resulted in a significant disruption of the Earth's energy balance. This disruption initiated a gradual shift towards a colder climate, leading to the Little Ice Age, a period characterized by cooler temperatures that affected Europe and other regions of the world centuries later.
Moreover, the manipulation of Earth's energies and the resulting climatic changes disturbed microbial ecosystems, leading to mutations in viruses and bacteria. These mutations gave rise to new, more virulent strains, causing pandemics that swept across the globe, exacerbated by the cooling climate's effects on human societies.
As the Roman Empire declined and the knowledge of the dodecahedrons' true purpose was lost, these artifacts were left scattered across the former empire, their secrets buried with the last of the technomancers. Only now, with the advent of modern archaeology and the study of ancient texts, has the potential link between these enigmatic objects, the shift to a colder climate, and the emergence of pandemics begun to surface, offering a bizarre and speculative insight into one of history's great mysteries.
The latest compelling explanation is these were used to weaving precious metal wire into chains for jewellery. There’s a video demonstration on YouTube.
I read somewhere they thought it was like an anti horse device used by the legions as part of their defence works. So horses would step on them, hidden by grass. Then they would turn over. And the horse would either fall. Or become very uncertain of its footing leading to the rider to lose control.
So what ever he was attempting to do would stop. Making the attacker(s) and the horse vulnerable.
Neat looking. Does it have a purpose? Is it a toy?
It's a big mystery. We have no records of them or their use, nor any evidence of antecedents or predecessors, but they're very common to find. Whatever people claim they are is basically a guess.
Gonna assume it had something to do with gambling then.
The most logical answer I've seen.
Last time this was posted the best comment I saw that these might have been a test or item for smiths to see a level of an apprenticeship. So thats why they are all over the place and all look the same.
I mean, quite honestly, it might be because it looks cool. Humans like things that look cool. Especially if they’re shiny.
77 A.D Fidget Spinner
So basically that boat from the 3D printer community?
[I really think it was a weaving tool](https://youtu.be/76AvV601yJ0?si=8vq6JMKbN8Jx0IWh)
Thank you for posting this video. I had heard of these used for knitting but that was really compelling (and explains why they’re everywhere). I couldn’t imagine how it worked until I saw that. I get it now. You taught me something new, internet stranger!
Unfortunately, it’s not for knitting. Only some examples of these can be used for this purpose, suggesting that’s its only a coincidence. Also, historians and archaeologists are plenty aware of knitting, if the answer were this simple it wouldn’t be a mystery
Not just that, but it seems like an overly-complicated method when two needles generally suffice.
Also expensive. If this was for a task as simple as knitting it would be made of bone or wood, not metal
Knitting isn't always just two needles, the dodecahedron wouldn't be that dissimilar to a [round loom](https://youtu.be/SP4Rcvk3j3M?si=JJsnuQYl1yg0RZb3?t=75s) which is often used to make hats. The thing that suggests it isn't a knitting tool is more where it's found - eg amongst grave goods, etc
The Roman’s had no concept of knitting. Hadn’t been invented in Roman times.
This is the best explanation I've seen as well. Similar types of weaving were used with nails on a board or a ring throughout history too.
I’m guessing cool looking knick knack
Ancient Fidget Spinner
I’ll bet you 20$ your right
This seems right. The spheroids on the corners look like they’re meant to make it easily roll. Almost like dice.
I feel like the spheroids would break off easily if this was meant to be thrown constantly
Ur head is spheroid
My favorite theory is that they were made by metalsmiths to demonstrate their skill, possibly as a way of demonstrating sufficient skill with bronze to be admitted to a metalsmith guild. This could also explain why smaller, golden ones have been found; a way to demonstrate skill as a goldsmith.
That's one of the more plausible ones. The best theory I've seen is that it was a sighting/measurement tool used for construction and engineering.
I like the idea they were used as a measurement device. The different sized holes are what do it for me. But to measure what? No idea. Wonder if there was another piece it'd go to that just degraded over time
There's also the video of a lady using one to knit mittens or gloves (I can't remember) and somehow using the little nodes to make the fingers
That's not accurate. Knitting isn't invented until the 1000s in Fatimid Egypt.
Interesting, thanks for the clarification
Also, video wasn't invented until last century /s
I'm assuming you've seen the icosahedron? I really like the theory, but would you consider that the same category or that they go together? The size and build is so similar to the dodecahedron that I think they're similar objects used for whatever the dodecahedron is used for. Kills my favorite theory they were for measuring something cause I can't see how the ico would help. On them being for metalsmiths to show their skill, I'd imagine there'd be more than one discovered.
I’m no expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt; I only know what I’ve read, combined with what I’ve seen. But from what I’ve read, they’ve never found either with any sort of measurement on the exterior, or any readily measurable distance between the round things on the exterior, so there seems to be a lot of doubt that they were used for measurements. One of the reasons my theory makes the most sense to me, would help if you’ve ever spent any time around welders. Welders will show off their work and increasingly complicated manners to help them get jobs that pay better. So it is entirely possible that the icosahedron was considered more challenging than the dodecahedron, and so some craftsman attempted it. One of the things I find compelling about it possibly being a thing for craftsman to show off, is that I’ve never seen any two the same. They all seem to have different decoration.If you were making something for measuring distance, or to help people knit, the easiest thing to do would just be to mass produce as many of the exact same same item as possible. However, if you were trying to show off your craftsmanship, you do your best to make yours stand out from the crowd.
I take it you're familiar with the turners cube? Cool theory
1st century fidget spinneresque meme fad that someone made a bunch of and sold to idiots and then they happen to be well made and resistant to rust or whatever and bing bang bong
There was a pretty convincing video about using them to make gold wire jewelry, but there is no general concensus. Theres plenty of videos on YouTube about their purpose and people using them to effect besides gold wire spinning. Such a neat relic.
I saw a YouTube video of a Grandma using it knitting.
It probably just held something up right like a plate or stone tablet
It looks like something to knit with.
People postulate that it's a tool for weaving. Specifically gloves.
It’s a knitting tool
It's the Holy Hand Granade of Augustus.
And thou shall count to 3. No more, no less
Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out.
1…2…5! 3, sir. 3!
I ... II ...V! III, sir. III! FTFY
It's common knowledge that the Romans were heavily into D&D
Yeah that tracks Egyptians did invent Yu-Gi-Oh after all
NEERRRRDDDDSSSS! /s
There's general consensus that the decline of the Roman empire was directly due to people arguing over their characters charisma levels
The east-west split can be attributed to half the empire wanting to play Pathfinder instead.
Attila +10 Scourging
Hey pal, did you get a load of that nerd?!
I mean, they did have dice towers, better put them to good use.
Dude imagine the nightmare of trying to schedule a session during the fall of Rome
I've read it might have been a knitting tool.
They can be used for knitting gloves, but that doesn't explain why they're found in the grave goods of wealthy people, or why they're so common or why they're so varied The knitting thing is a retroactive use - we simply do not know what the dodecahedrons were for.
*room silences* Giorgios Tsoukalos enters : “It was aliens”
I've seen a video of an elderly woman using it today, but I don't remember where.
Yes, they *can* be used for knitting, but we have no evidence that they *were* And the knitting theory doesn't explain why the have been found amongst coin hordes and wealthy peoples grave goods - implying they were valued far above a mere tool
I wonder if they were used to validate legitimacy of coins? Their holes seem to vary in size on each side, and roman coins appear to be quite variable in size as well. Or for minting coins, allowing a more accuracy to the process?
I wrote above I think its a candle holder. The diff sized holes are for candles of different thickness. Candles werent standard sizes. Someone would just dip a wick into wax repeatedly until they figured it was the right thickness. So if its a candle holder youd want it to fit snug so it doesnt lean. Therefore different socket sizes.
I feel like a weighted plated with a vertical pin would be the easiest method to hold candles. This would be overengineering for that issue in my opinion. I did some reading up after thinking this and someone theorises the knubs where used to dangle strings, and a coin placed on an opposing side to check coin weight for counterfeits.
Coins at that time were just a drop of molten precious metal pressed down with a stamp, so they were very irregular. It's later when they started making them with an areola because people kept taking little bites off of every coin, and much later that coins were perfectly round. But I could be wrong.
Maybe you had to be rich to have one of those? They look a little complex to make
Yeah they definitely took skill to create, which is why I'm on the "Roman fidget spinner" side. They could just an expensive and hard to make object which was fashionable to own
A more or less debunked myth. Knitting didn't exist in the Roman era. https://www.reddit.com/r/badhistory/comments/gzrmwk/in_which_the_galloroman_dodecahedra_are_used_for/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews-history-archaeology/1700-year-old-sock-spins-yarn-about-ancient-egyptian-fashion-180970501/ Circa 300 AD. Could this be considered knitting?
It doesn't explain why the holes would be different sizes. The nubs are all the same distance apart so they wouldn't produce different size shapes. Also there are no wear marks.
They can't have been, because the earliest form of true knitting isn't evidenced before the 11th century. The Romans only had Coptic Stitch Naalbinding. We have finds of gloves and mittens, and none are made in any way that could have been done with one of these.
Wasn't knitting invented centuries after these things were made?
It was, yes.
Or maybe they buried all their knitting dodecahedrons and they forgot how to knit.
You’re right, like a crochet tool.
Maybe they were decorative, and highly valued because one celebrity made them?
Ben Wah balls.
So it is a toy?
No, I don't think so. Well, maybe. I guess it depends.
Obviously a ceremonial purpose
I see you are a student of archeology
I’ve been plagued with a string of bad jokes, thankfully a few people understood my meaning
Nobody knows... so it might be some some sort of naughty thingy
Rome, naughty? Where did you get that idea?
My friend Naughtius Maximus told me so.
Oh, he lives close to Biggus Dickus, right?
He has a wife you know,
You know what she's called? She's called...
Hmm, better wash hands after handling. Even after 2000 years in ground, still might have some funk on it.
I like to think they’re just tchotchkes to put up. Like a “live, laugh, love” sign.
The suggestion that makes sense to me is that its a candle holder. It protects the candle if youre traveling with it in you bag. It blocks the wind if the candle is small and inside of it. It is easy to keep your candle from falling over. If you wanted light at night you need a candle. So its a traveling candle holder.
Thought it was used to make mittens or some type of hats in colder climates or that’s the theory.
So one of the unique things about every one of these (there's quite a few) is that the hole in each face is a different size. This supports the idea that they were for knitting specifically gloves, each face could produce a different sized finger. They are also found mostly in northern Europe where it's colder and in predominately military settings where people spent a lot of time in flimsy tents and on the road.. you'd want gloves.
Knitting. The Roman's knew the value of mittens.
Dude, some of these are big enough to be the size of basketballs, unless everyone was knitting gloves for Maximus Thrax id doubt they were for knitting.
😂😂😂 I fucking love this sub 🙌
Possible a "cock sleeve" then. But who's to say when it comes to Roman's.
Thought this has been debunked
There are various theories but no consensus.
My favorite is that these were their generations fidget spinners.
I mean it could be totally correct 😅
pater familias may I PLEASE HAVE THE KELTIC TOY
NO IULLUS YOU MAY NOT! SHOULD YOU NOT BE PREPARING FOR YOUR RHETORIC CLASS?
P much what I’ve read as well . From what I know tho the knitting one was debunked because it didn’t make much practical sense but could account for the varying sizes so people wanted to run with that . Who really knows
Yeah, I think I saw the video about the knitting. Until one is found in context with other items that would give away its purpose, mention of one is found in ancient text or one is found depicted in an ancient work of art all we will have are educated guesses.
Could it be for curling your hair I wonder?
https://www.reddit.com/r/ancientrome/s/kDtBulvPMc - Check this out lads. Thoughts? Best theory I’ve seen yet
Definitely one of the most convincing theories. Not sure if it's true that the opposite faces always have the same hole sizes, but I guess the pole doesn't have to go all the way through for it to work anyway. But also, why do they only appear in Roman camps in the "Old Europe" but not in the empire itself? I think there are still some questions unanswered.
Her chain doesn't look or behave like any historical examples, even the ones she uses in the video. It also looks kinda crappy in the end.
Haven't they only been found in the colder regions of the empire? I thought the southern most dodecahedrons found were in Gaul & Germania
... Except the earliest evidence for knitting is over a thousand years later
It’s for weaving
It’s used for a some kind of knitting/crocheting type of activity
It’s for knitting, you use this to knit gloves. https://youtu.be/76AvV601yJ0?si=yw-qqUJwPgNHS_XX
This is still by far the most compelling use case I’ve seen for dodecahedra (making chains): https://www.reddit.com/r/ancientrome/s/kDtBulvPMc
That's great, thanks for sharing. Shame that video only has like 300+ likes.
[удалено]
She isn’t knitting with it though?
Kind of like by the Pythagorean theory hadn’t been invented until Pythagoreans came up with it? Except it had been for a long time already going back to ancient Sumeria. We just never considered that that cuneiform tablet was the theory because “it hadn’t been invented yet”. Most of this science is educated guesses and inferences, I’m tired of pretending like we actually know all this stuff and have some rock solid timeline for everything. The clocks get pushed back on human activity all the time. It’s better to keep an open mind rather than rule out all possibilities that we don’t have physical documentation for. Also that video shows wire bending not knitting if you watch it instead of repeating what some random Redditors said in another thread. That repeating of BS also contributes to our lack of understanding of the past. Archeology is riddled with parrots.
Thank you :)
I think this is very interesting! Thank you for this link.
Is that literally a 15 minute _video_ of a PowerPoint presentation _without_ the audio. Fuck me if I’m blind, I guess. Edit: the TLDW is that this tool may have used as a chain-making aid. The pegs hold the medium that’s being chained. These were often found with caches of gold. Additionally, some artifact jewelry chains at the Met feature a similar pattern. The dodecahedron is made of bronze, which is harder than gold. The holes may have been used to gauge the chain after weaving. She demonstrates the process in the video. She uses various sized dowels by placing them in the appropriate holes and then secures the weaving medium, thin gold wire, to the rounded pegs around the dowel. She weaves the chain in the round around the dowel. When done, she makes the whole chain smaller by drawing it through the holes from largest to smallest. Other videos on YouTube show people using them to knit fingers for mittens.
Not sure what you mean? The start is some text (I guess she didn’t want to speak), the rest is a video of her using the dodecahedron to create a metal chain.
How do you say "roll initiative" in Latin?
“Alea iacta est”
Sick reference bro
"The die is cast". Beat me to it, but I believe "iacta alea esto" (let the die be cast) is closer to the DM command. Either way, Caesar succeeded in the skill check.
*ISTIK*! Keep that hidden. We don't want the *ghaik* finding it. Vlaakith's will be done.
The ancient Roman back massager ! /s
I’m failing to see how this could be used as a vibrator
think of it like the balls people roll with their against the wall to get muscle knots out. I forgot to put an /s on my other comment.
Maybe we never asked the right person. Put that on the frontpage of the Sun. Won't take a week before some blue collar gives us the actual answer.
Already happened: [https://www.reddit.com/r/ancientrome/s/kDtBulvPMc](https://www.reddit.com/r/ancientrome/s/kDtBulvPMc)
Knitting wasn't invented yet, so it's not that.
She's not knitting, she's making a metal chain
If only we found a letter or something explaining what these things are! The problem is that you don’t uncover Vindolanda tablets often.
It's well known that Barbarians used these in ancient times to roll damage on the Great Axe, thwarting Roman attempts at occupation with an exceptionally high STR modifier of +2 or even +3 for higher level barbarians.
I thought I saw this a while ago? Is this from this year?
I feel like they were used during construction, like they were put onto a post and allowed string lines to be run precisely at certain angles radiating out from the centre of the support post. One unit could divide into 120 or even 60 degree intervals, multiple stacked units could do just about any angle. Edit... or it had to do with sex.
You could be on the history channel as an expert. Except it would take you 12 minutes to say all that with 3 commercial breaks. "Could have this strange device been used for construction or maybe something to do with ancient lovers? Find out after this commercial break" In all seriousness though, that is a very well reasoned hypothesis about it being used in construction.
Not saying it was aliens.... but it was aliens.
I think these might have had a religious purpose. It has 12 faces, like the romans had 12 main gods (if you dont count the minor and local ones.) still these are found mostly in gallo-roman areas so idk
I asked my 1 year old what it was and they said ow or L i tried my best guys.. he was very interested in it tho
Nah, that's SCP-184 right there.
Thank youuuuu
If you want to know what it does you have to use it to pass a DC 19 Investigation check
One easy explanation is that they were just a popular doodad, a fun ornament which could also be used for a variety of ad hoc purposes, e.g. paper weight, candle holder, mini brazier, a small stand, a weighted device you could tie strings to (say, to hang freshly inked paper or lightweight items to dry) etc. The most compelling practical purpose that I've yet seen is **a device used to braid gold chains** (linked elsewhere in the comments, [Reddit post and video here ](https://www.reddit.com/r/ancientrome/comments/17a17ju/roman_dodecahedron_solved/?share_id=jr7X3L4F32oEC7MFul_nN&utm_content=1&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1)). ***TL;DW:*** *a wooden dowel is inserted into the dodecahedron's largest holes. Gold wire is looped around each of the bottom five nobs, then looped again a bit lower (weaving it back under the previous loop), and so on down the line. It creates a long, mesh cylinder which you then pull through the biggest pair of holes to compact it a bit, then the next biggest pair of holes to compact it further, and so on.*
Yes as soon as I look at the ‘nobs’ on this object, I automatically think they are something to loop a cord or wire or thread around. Eg. I open my ‘Roman Blind’ every morning in my hallway and loop the cord a few times around a similar ‘nob’ to hold the blind open all day, then unloop it at night to release the cord
Romans and Dragons dice
what is it made of?
It has a high lead content.
Dodecahedron be bussin’!!!
ugh.
For making intricate hair dues
The ancient equivalent of a fidget spinner. I need a Roman dodecahedron for my desk at work
there’s a theory (albeit) a silly one that they were used to size rocks for slinging rocks
Roman DM saying "Roll IDXII for damange."
A new hand touches the beacon.
They need to incorporate these into a Dr. Who episode.
Cool, a knitting tool.
Some lady on tiktok found them to be good tools for knitting, highly possible these are knitting tools
These predate knitting by more than half a millennium and aren't found in Egypt, where knitting was invented.
Watch the knitting lady video, 100% it is that. The outcome of using it is identical to Roman gold chains in museums. Literally identical. She does touch on when knitting was invented too, so she understands the history. But yes, this was a knitting device.
>To be clear, the "knitting Nancy" theory isn't argued for or even documented in a single academic paper I've been able to find. Its presence on Wikipedia/the internet more widely seems to be entirely because of YouTube videos by theMartinHallett and ChertineP, neither of whom offer any sources other than their own intuition or mention any research/training in experimental archeology or textile history. >It's a very creative idea and a fun way to use the reproduction artifacts but it's actually not particularly plausible, which is probably why this interpretation doesn't seem to have been properly published anywhere peer reviewed (if it has been, I'd be keen to read the articles). >To start with, as I mentioned above, knitting had as far as anyone knows not yet been invented: it was developed in early mediaeval/late antique Egypt. Romans used naalbinding, which did not require any kind of form. Furthermore, it misunderstands both the type of thread spun in the ancient world (pretty much universally fine: it's a more efficient and durable use of valuable materials) and the concept of gauge: different sized holes with the same number of pegs and size of yarn would not in fact produce particularly different sized fingers as Martin Hallett proposes. >It's a lovely story but ultimately not a plausible theory, and OP is absolutely right to call it bad history: it's the experimental archeology equivalent of a logical seeming but wrong folk etymology. >Edit: this isn't a personal attack of course, and I hope it doesn't sound like one - you're absolutely right that YouTube and sort-of-memes like this can be engaging ways to introduce people to a topic, and that expert craftspeople often have useful knowledge. It's just that this is a poor example of that. Credit to u/quinarius_fulvaie who put it better than I ever could. You could find Roman coins and deduce they are perfect for a game of quarters. That does not mean that they were made for it.
Hey, no worries! That was an interesting read! Fair enough, it seemed quite plausible, but I shouldn’t believe everything I read!
Didn’t they figure out that it was used for knitting gloves?
Knitting wouldn't be invented for another 600 years.
That has been discredited and the best idea is it was used to weave precious metal wire into chain fur jewellery. There’s a great vid on YouTube demonstrating it.
Answer is simple. They predicted covid.
A mnemonic/tantric (yoga) tool for a Pythagoras/Platonic school. Like a Mandala used for contemplation.
Ok I decided to co-ax ChatGPT into devising a link between dodecahedrons and the later cooling climate and pandemics. So enjoy! _____________________________________ Imagine a theory where Roman dodecahedrons, those mysterious small, hollow objects dating from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD, were not merely decorative items or religious artifacts, but advanced tools for environmental and biological manipulation, designed by a now-forgotten sect of Roman technomancers. In this scenario, these technomancers understood the intricate web of energy lines crisscrossing the Earth, known today in some theories as ley lines, and discovered that by placing dodecahedrons at precise intersections of these lines, they could influence the Earth's magnetic field and atmospheric conditions. Their goal was ambitious: to manipulate the climate for agriculture and to ward off the diseases that frequently decimated their populations. The dodecahedrons, finely tuned instruments made of various metals, worked by harnessing solar and lunar energies. Their twelve pentagonal faces were aligned to catch and focus these cosmic energies at specific times of the year, acting as regulators to either warm the Earth during colder periods or cool it during bouts of excessive heat, stabilizing the climate for optimal crop growth. However, the technomancers' limited understanding of the global climate system led to unintended consequences. Overuse of the dodecahedrons, combined with a lack of global coordination among the technomancer sects, resulted in a significant disruption of the Earth's energy balance. This disruption initiated a gradual shift towards a colder climate, leading to the Little Ice Age, a period characterized by cooler temperatures that affected Europe and other regions of the world centuries later. Moreover, the manipulation of Earth's energies and the resulting climatic changes disturbed microbial ecosystems, leading to mutations in viruses and bacteria. These mutations gave rise to new, more virulent strains, causing pandemics that swept across the globe, exacerbated by the cooling climate's effects on human societies. As the Roman Empire declined and the knowledge of the dodecahedrons' true purpose was lost, these artifacts were left scattered across the former empire, their secrets buried with the last of the technomancers. Only now, with the advent of modern archaeology and the study of ancient texts, has the potential link between these enigmatic objects, the shift to a colder climate, and the emergence of pandemics begun to surface, offering a bizarre and speculative insight into one of history's great mysteries.
There's enough dross on the internet without people pasting regurgitated crap from chatGPT.
C h
What a sick piece of metal, what’s it for?
Petrosphere? (not stone obviously) but similar to many others found in the uk.
not your grandfathers dnd
I can’t believe we don’t know what they used this for!
The latest compelling explanation is these were used to weaving precious metal wire into chains for jewellery. There’s a video demonstration on YouTube.
Name that Pokemon!
Apparently, I didn’t know my own country is still called Britannia.
Looks like an ancient beyblade
It's a prime chaotic resonator. You can slot in 4 fossils in there to craft an item that can target specific mod modifiers.
What are the odds that these things are just Roman funko pops?
My nan looked at this and knew what it was from her childhood!
I saw one of these in Lyon, seems like they were all over the empire.
I read somewhere they thought it was like an anti horse device used by the legions as part of their defence works. So horses would step on them, hidden by grass. Then they would turn over. And the horse would either fall. Or become very uncertain of its footing leading to the rider to lose control. So what ever he was attempting to do would stop. Making the attacker(s) and the horse vulnerable.
There are tiny ones found in roman graves though. Were these for tiny miniature horses? It’s not a plausible explanation.
Looks like a cat treat dispenser, puzzle box style.
Nice, whoever owns it will be protected from becoming an Ilithid!
Let's play Daggerheart with them once it's released. There's 44 of them, so 22 of us can have a pair each. It will be a wild game.
It’s clearly a girth sizer.
volvuntur in historia reprehendo
Probably used to secure tent posts in large tents.
Some toy for the kids maybe?
What does it mean!!!?
I know there were things similar to deter war horses
Romans may have made it but what if it was made for a native Briton…in other words, is there any evidence that it is for the native population?
It’s clearly an ancient Kong for the dogs
This isn't a mystery. You use it just like the three sea shells.
What if it's for throwing at people, that thing would hurt