Mysterious ancient Roman object leaves archaeologists scratching their heads

Amateur archaeologists unburied one of the largest Roman dodecahedrons ever found last June, but what the item is has remained a mystery,  according to the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group. 

The amateur group, based in England’s Midlands, discovered the extremely rare 1700-year-old item in excellent condition, the group said. It will be available for public viewing at the National Civil War Centre, Newark Museum in Nottinghamshire.

The dodecahedron is one of only 130 found globally and it is considered “one of archaeology’s great enigmas,” according to the group.

The dodecahedron is measured 3 inches per side, according to CNN, which has created further confusion on the object’s function as the size has not been standardized across all 130 objects.

Theorizing the dodecahedron's function

“It is completely unique,” Richard Parker, secretary of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, told CNN. 

“Ours is absolutely in a fabulous condition. It’s complete, undamaged, and it clearly was considered of great value by whoever made it and by those that used it,” Parker said. “So there must have been a very important reason for it to be deposited in the ground in the way that it was.”

Adding to the mystery behind the object, Parker told the source that there has been no reference to the item found in Roman literature and it has not been depicted pictorially in mosaics.

“Most likely they were some form of religious or ritual object,” Parker theorized. “The Romans were a very superstitious lot, and generally required signs to allow them to make decisions in their daily lives.”

Adding weight to Parker’s theory, the object was found near a small Roman god figurine with “strong religious connections.” The god figuring had been discovered some years earlier, in 1989.

“It’s a real pleasure to have the Norton Disney dodecahedron joining us… just a stone’s throw from where it was found,” Andrea Martin, exhibitions and interpretations manager at the museum, said in a Lincolnshire County Council press release. “To have the opening of the display coincide with the Lincoln Festival of History is a real coup.”