To date, the exact function of the Roman dodecahedron remains a topic of debate among scientists.
Apart from the small town of Kortessem, Belgium, amateur archaeologist Patrick Schuermans discovered a mysterious fragment using his metal detector while walking through a field.
The artifact was then sent to scientists at the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, Belgium, for verification.
On January 26, 2023, experts published a report revealing that, although only a corner of the object remains, it is certainly part of a Roman bronze dodecahedron (a twelve-faced solid) with a diameter of just over 5 cm.
While other geometric artifacts of this type have been discovered in the past, archaeologists have yet to accurately explain their function. No written documents referencing them have ever been found.
A Roman dodecahedron, a replica displayed at the Gallo-Roman Museum, Tongeren, Belgium (Illustration: Time Travel Rome).
Scientists have proposed various hypotheses regarding the purpose of this dodecahedron.
Could the Roman Dodecahedron Be Used for Divination?
The first Roman dodecahedron was identified in England in the 18th century. Since then, over a hundred have been found across the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
These artifacts consist of hollow metal casings cast in 12 faces, about the size of a baseball, with large holes on each side and a stud at each corner.
The metal itself cannot be dated precisely, but one of them was found in layers of Earth dated between the 1st and 5th centuries AD.
One metal dodecahedron was discovered just outside the walls of the ancient Roman city of Tongeren in 1939. It is currently on display at the Gallo-Roman Museum.
Guido Creemers, the curator of the Gallo-Roman Museum, shared with LiveScience: “There have been several theories; it could be a type of calendar, a land measurement tool, a scepter…, but none of those theories are satisfactory.”
Nonetheless, the theories proposed by scientists remain numerous regarding their functions, suggesting they might have been part of some weapon, agricultural tool, dice, or even toys.
Additionally, many experts are directing their research towards the idea that this object is more closely related to informal activities such as witchcraft and divination, which were very popular during the Roman era.
Influence of the Gauls and Celts
These mysterious metal artifacts have only been discovered in the northwestern regions of the ancient Roman Empire or in burial sites.
This may provide a clue that their use was limited to areas influenced by the Gauls or Celts.
The Flemish Heritage Agency of Belgium finally revealed in a statement on January 10: “We have found traces of some repairs on a part of the dodecahedron. The broken surface of the fragment suggests it may have been deliberately broken, perhaps in a final ritual.”
This discovery could shed more light for researchers; an archaeological dig that followed the location of the fragment discovery found additional wall fragments, potentially indicating a site used for rituals or feasts in an ancient Roman villa.
