#Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group

[blueiscoool]

The Discovery of the Roman Dodecahedron in Lincolnshire, UKThe Discovery of the Roman Dodecahedron in Lincolnshire UK

Mystery Roman dodecahedron found by Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group.

“Our working theory is it’s some sort of religious or ritual device. The Romans were a highly superstitious society. So it may have helped them make decisions through their ritual or religious beliefs.”

[phoenix-joy]

Author: Sonja Anderson Publication: Smithsonian Magazine Timestamp: January 22, 2024

Extract:

Researchers have long been puzzled by the Roman dodecahedron. More than 100 of these strange 12-sided metal objects have been found throughout Europe—but their purpose remains unclear. Now, another discovery in England’s countryside has reignited the mystery surrounding the ancient artifacts.

[...]

“[Dodecahedrons] are one of archaeology’s great enigmas,” [Richard Parker, secretary of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group] says.

“Our example is remarkable. It’s in an excellent condition—considering it’s been buried for 1,700 years—and complete with no damage.["]

[...]

The hollow, grapefruit-sized object is made of copper alloy, as the Norton Disney group writes on its website. Its 12 flat sides are punctuated by circular cut-outs and studs on each corner.

According to the group, the discovery brings the number of dodecahedrons unearthed in Roman Britain to 33, while about 130 have been discovered throughout the Roman Empire’s northwest provinces. [The dodecahedron discussed in the article] stands out because it’s still in one piece, while many of the others were found fragmented or damaged.

[...]

Some Roman dodecahedrons date to as early as the first century C.E. However, no visual or textual references to the objects have been found in historical records. [...]

“Nobody knows for certain how the Romans used them,” wrote Smithsonian magazine’s Sarah Kuta last year. “Some theories are that they functioned as measuring devices, calendars, ornamental scepter toppers, weapons or tools.”

[...]

[...] the group agrees with experts who think dodecahedrons were used for ritualistic or religious purposes. [...] researchers at Belgium’s Gallo-Roman Museum have hypothesized that Romans used the objects in magical rituals, which could explain dodecahedrons’ absence from historical records: With the Roman Empire’s eventual embrace of Christianity came laws forbidding magic. Practitioners would have had to keep their rituals—and related objects—a secret.

/end of extract

"12-sided Roman relic baffles archaeologists, spawns countless theories"

Author: Leo Sands Publication: The Washington Post Timestamp: April 30, 2024 at 11:09 a.m. EDT

Extract:

“One reason that it is so captivating for the public is that it’s hard to believe that we have anything from the Roman period that we don’t know what it’s for,” Lorena Hitchens, an archaeologist specializing in Roman dodecahedrons[...] “It’s very tempting to want to solve that mystery.”

[...]

Internet sleuths have joined the speculation [...] with many gravitating toward an explanation that revolves around their use as tools. [...] knit and crochet pattern designer Amy Gaines posits [...] that dodecahedrons may have been used to knit gold chains, constructing a 3D-printed replica to demonstrate her theory.[...] English Heritage lists theories ranging from a tool for finding the best date to sow grain, to functioning as a candleholder, a polygonal die, a range finder, a surveying instrument, or a way of knitting gloves.

But academic archaeologists shy away from the suggestion that they were practical objects used as everyday tools. “I know that because I’ve examined a lot of them, and they don’t have the kind of use wear you’d expect from a tool,” Hitchens said.

“They’re also much more delicate than people realize,” she said. “They would be broken very quickly.”

[...]

The most popular theory among academic experts [...] is that dodecahedrons held religious or ritual meaning, linked in some way to local practices on the Roman Empire’s fringes.

Proponents of this theory [...] point to the intricacy of the object itself, suggesting it probably had special value. According to Hitchens, the relic was made using a lost-wax bronze-casting process, an extremely technical feat — made even more challenging by the fact that the final product was hollow. [...]

/end of extract

[allthegeopolitics]

Amateur archaeologists in England have unearthed one of the largest Roman dodecahedrons ever found, but mystery surrounds what it was actually used for. The 12-sided object is one of just 33 known to exist in Roman Britain, and one of approximately 130 in the world. It is considered “one of archaeology’s great enigmas,” according to the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, an amateur group based in the English region of Lincolnshire where it was found in June. Measuring about 8 centimeters (3 inches) across, the dodecahedron is hollow and covered with 12 holes of varying sizes. The 1,700-year-old object will be displayed at the Lincoln Museum from May 4 until early September.

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[mathhombre]

Roman Dodecahedron

Richard Parker, secretary of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, said it was a "privilege to have handled" the object, thought to have been buried about 1,700 years ago. However, he said: "Despite all the research that has gone into our dodecahedron, and others like it, we are no closer to finding out exactly what it is and what it might have been used for. "The imagination races when thinking about what the Romans may have used it for. Magic, rituals or religion - we perhaps may never know. "What we do know is the Norton Disney dodecahedron was found on the top of a hill in a former large pit of some kind. It seems it was deliberately placed there."

Fascinating story.

[sarkos]

But its function remains unclear. Even though more than 100 have been found across Europe, the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group — the organization behind the latest find — describes the dodecahedron as one of "archaeology's great enigmas." That's is largely because there are no known visual or written descriptions of dodecahedra in Roman literature, says the group's website. According to Lorena Hitchens, a doctoral student in the U.K. studying all the Roman dodecahedra of Europe, there are many unproven theories about the dodecahedron's use — as a gauge, a rangefinder, a candlestick, a die for gambling or gaming, or knitting gloves, for example. She says that none of these theories are supported by evidence. "A huge amount of time, energy and skill was taken to create our dodecahedron, so it was not used for mundane purposes," reads the Norton Disney website. They say that this object was most likely used for ritual and religious purposes.

(via Roman dodecahedron found in England is one of 'archaeology's great enigmas' : NPR)

[andronetalks]

1,700-year-old metal object — ‘one of archaeology’s great enigmas’ —unearthed in UK

Miami Herald By Moira Ritter January 19, 2024 When a group of amateur archaeologists began exploring an ancient Roman site in the eastern part of England, they didn’t expect to find anything “spectacular.” “There was nothing to indicate there was anything special there,” Richard Parker, an archaeologist with the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, told McClatchy News in an interview. In…