Reading various articles today, I found one about the interesting object shown above. It is an intricately made metal dodecahedron. They have been found in various Roman archaeological sites around the world, but nobody can confirm what they were once used for.
I love things like this! An ancient mystery that remains unsolved to this day.
Here is a link to the full article, which I did not replicate for copyrght reasons.
beetleypete 
I love the idea that it is for knitting. I remember a challenge in speech class in eighth grade where we were to bring in a common object and imagine what future generations who had never seen it would think it was for. I took a church key(bottle opener) and had a great time though I don’t remember what I imagined for a future archeologist.
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The knitting video clip lower down is certainly convincing. Though I am left wondering why something so expensively engineered would have been intended for such a relatively mundane purpose.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Uh oh. Now you have me wondering again.
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It looks like an early prototype for a Tupperware ball…The knitting video does seem quite plausible also 🙂 x
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The knitting of glove fingers did seem right.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Fascinating! That’s a very plausible explanation, and I will share this with one my friends who loves knitting 😀 Cheers, Jon.
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Thanks, Jon. That knitting video is very convincing.
Best wishes, Pete.
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A real head scratcher.
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See Karen’s comment below. Looks like a solution.
Cheers, Pete.
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Fascinating!
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The comment and video below gives a very plausible use for the object, Lara.
Either way, I love the way it has baffled historians for centuries. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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We have one in Newcastle Castle https://fragglerocking.org/2015/09/15/the-newcastle-castle-report-part-1/
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Thanks for the link. I didn’t see that post. Perhaps you can let them know it was probably used for knitting the fingers for gloves? (See comment and video clip lower down)
Best wishes, Pete.
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It is mysteries such as this that first got me interested in science as a kid.
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I love the history of it, but the video comment below may well have solved the riddle!
Best wishes, Pete.
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What about the headpiece of a Roman diving-suit?! 😀
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They are smaller than a golf ball, Pit. They do look like a diving helmet though, I agree.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Well, the Romans were smaller than we are now – as far as I know – but not THAT diminutive. 😀
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Very cool!
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Lovely little objects, whatever they were.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I could have told you yesterday what the true purpose of the Roman dodecahedron actually is, but I seem to have forgotten it today.
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Thanks, David. Perhaps you will remember it again tomorrow?
Best wishes, Pete. 🙂
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I agree Pete…I love mysterious objects…..but someone will blame aliens for them….chuq
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See the comment below, chuq. It look like a genuine solution.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I kinda like the theory that they’re forms for knitting gloves, myself. Here’s a video of a knitter using one for that purpose.
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That certainly looks convincing to me! Thanks, Karen.
(Though I wonder why they didn’t just use cheaper wooden versions? )
Best wishes, Pete.
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I don’t knit, and I don’t carve wood (so my opinion is basically worthless), but my guess is that the little pegs might not hold up very well under use, if they were wood. The other possibility that struck me was that maybe they used both, but the metal ones are all that survived.
Karen
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You make very good points, Karen. 🙂
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