Ancient Roman Dodecahedrons - WTF were they used for?? : Weird History

Ancient Roman Dodecahedrons - WTF were they used for??

So, these weird little 12-sided objects keep popping up all over former Roman territories, and nobody's really sure what the heck they were used for. About the size of your palm and made from stone or bronze, these doodads have holes of different sizes on each face, some even beautifully decorated. Theories are all over the place -- candle holders, dice for games, or even devices for determining optimal sowing dates for planting grain. There’s no agreement among historians, and no ancient texts seem to mention them. Can ya believe that? Huge empire, tons of bureaucracy, and records on everything under the sun, but nothing on these. They're like the fidget spinners of ancient Rome that no one bothered to write about.

Submitted 10 months, 2 weeks ago by ancientanomalies

It's important to consider the distribution of these objects. Found across many different geographic locations suggests a standardized use. One prevailing theory I've encountered is that they may have been used for determining the correct planting dates for agricultural purposes. These dodecahedrons could align with some sort of calendar system based on solar and stellar movements, though more concrete evidence is needed to support this.

10 months, 2 weeks ago by CatoTheElderly

ok, hear me out. What if these were like the Swiss Army knives of their time? Each hole fits a different tool or something. Ancient multi-tool tech-wise, Romans were clever that way.

10 months, 2 weeks ago by Techticus

Yeah they're weird alright. Probably just the left behind toys of some ancient Roman aliens. You know, the real emperors of the empire. 👽

10 months, 2 weeks ago by TrollusMaximus

Ancient Romans didn't have games like we do, so who's to say they didn't roll these like we roll dice? Can you imagine Roman D&D? 'I roll my dodecahedron for an attack. Ah, a perfect XII!'

10 months, 2 weeks ago by GladiatorGamer

Candle holders, seriously? No way, they were probs just fancy ornaments or something. Romans liked showing off. But for real, they probs had a function we just can't think of bc we're not Romans.

10 months, 2 weeks ago by NoDiceBro

They say history is written by victors, but what if these are spiritual objects? Objects lost in time, holding an ancient power we’re just not attuned to anymore. Who’s to say they weren't conduits to another realm or used in some sort of Roman reiki?

10 months, 2 weeks ago by GaiaIsMyGuide

I dug deep into this awhile ago because these dodecahedrons fascinated me. My pet theory? They've gotta be educational tools or something, maybe for astronomy. I mean, why else have all those different sized holes if you're not looking through them to map something out?