The Mystery of the Roman Dodecahedron
In Central and Eastern Europe, archaeologists have discovered about a hundred unusual objects over the past two centuries at Roman settlement sites. These are known as Roman dodecahedra. Made of bronze, occasionally stone or iron, they are 12-sided figures with a circular hole on each face.
Another distinct feature is the 20 “knobs,” one at each corner. The sizes of the dodecahedra vary from 4 to 11 cm, and the diameters of the holes can be the same on each face or different. They were produced in the 2nd — 4th centuries AD.
Scientists have proposed 27 hypotheses regarding the purpose of these enigmatic objects. Initially, they were thought to be some kind of military equipment, such as a standard top. It was speculated that this unique object was used as a target or was thrown by a ballista to determine its shooting range. There was a theory that since regular polyhedra were considered sacred in the philosophy of the Pythagoreans, and for Plato, the dodecahedron symbolized the ether, these objects had a holy meaning rather than a utilitarian function.
