Archaeologists are puzzled by a strange Roman object found in England (3 photos)

A mysterious Roman artifact unearthed in the small village of Norton Disney has left experts wondering what it is. Discovered during amateur archaeological excavations, the bizarre twelve-sided object has sparked wild speculation about its use.





This mysterious copper object is one of 33 dodecahedrons found in the UK and measures 8cm tall, making it the largest object of its kind. The artifact was excavated by volunteers in the summer of 2023, and experts have suggested that the ancient object dates back to the 1st century AD, which is why it was brought to Norton Disney during the Roman occupation of Britain.



Each side of this hollow object has holes of different sizes with round balls attached to the corners. These unusual features have led to an incredible amount of speculation about how the Romans used the item. The first and most obvious theory is that these strange dodecahedrons were involved in religious rituals, but this has been defeated by the fact that such strange objects are not mentioned in Roman sacred texts.

Other archaeologists have suggested that the device was used in some kind of gambling game as a dice. Despite the fact that the object is made of metal, it is quite fragile, so it is even surprising that it has survived to this day. Another popular theory suggests that this dodecahedron was a knitting tool, and the yarn was attached to corner balls to pull it through the holes. Experts have experimentally found that in this way it is possible to make woven tubes of different sizes, which are ideal for creating gloves.



However, there is no evidence that the Romans were interested in knitting at all in those years, so experts have put forward other fantastic theories, even to the point that they used an ancient tool to measure pasta. But this version does not stand up to criticism, since pasta appeared only after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Although no theory has yet been confirmed, in the end many archaeologists are inclined to conclude that this object was used for observing the stars. This version is supported by the fact that on one of the dodecahedrons the names of the zodiac were found on each of the faces.