History Mystery - Roman dodecahedron

[Klingan]

has anyone considered that it might not have any significance at all? Rather that it might have been merely a fashionable decorative item?

 

I would have bought that, had the holes been the same size. Anyway I will not guess on its purpose; there has been PhD's written on the subject and I have seen two pictures.

[Melvadius]

I must admit that until I saw Medusa's picture I always thought they were quite small objects - not something that would sit on top of a pillar at a museum

 

Seriously thanks for posting the link Medusa but like Klingan I will withdraw from speculating further.

[history_buff]

I really solved this problem guys and defended it in front of many top engineering teams (www.romansystemsengineering.com). See video 2 for my defense at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor on August 25th. My name is John Ladd

[Auris Arrectibus]

Could it just as well be a harrow?

 

An agricultural tool? They look somewhat similar to the ones the brother of my great-grandfather used as a farmer for ploughing.

Over the centuries they came in very different shapes, so maybe the dodecahedron was for a short moment popular and later on

not used anymore in that model.

 

Used by hand for soldiers (maybe even for landsmooting for a military camp)

or set them in line and put an ox in front of it..... and there you go!

 

Still, you could wear your undies by using it if you think that's necessary .......

 

Jeroen H de Lange,

Amsterdam

[DecimusCaesar]

Weren't the Pythagoreans obsessed with the religious significance of the dodecahedron? How long did their religion last following the the death of their leader? Afterall the Pythagoreans felt that the dodecahedron had something of the magic of the universe in its design - perhaps this belief survived into Roman times.

[Ursus]

Weren't the Pythagoreans obsessed with the religious significance of the dodecahedron? How long did their religion last following the the death of their leader? Afterall the Pythagoreans felt that the dodecahedron had something of the magic of the universe in its design - perhaps this belief survived into Roman times.

 

I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but something of the cult did indeed survive.

 

Good catch, Decimus. I'd have no problem believing this was an offshoot of a Pythagorean cult.

[jadedmw696]

I know this topic is old.  but I saw something on the roman dodecahedron today and had to put my 2 cents in someplace on the internet.   

Idea 1.   since it was found in with coins a few times it could be a way to measure currency, I saw different dodecahedrons.  some looked to have small holes.  those could be to size and find value to gems.   

idea 2.  this reminded me immediately of a toy my great grandmother had for me to play with when I would go to her house.   it was wooden though and had a thin rope with a wooden stick on the end.  I could then tread the string through different holes.  since the roman dodecahedron has different size holes.  it could have been a puzzle toy.   where a thin rope had different size balls and you would have to thread the string through in the right order or it would not get through all the way as they would not fit unless in the correct order.