# Mysterious Roman object found in England **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 30, 2024, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-roman-object-found-in-england/1000960 "2024-04-30T10:17:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-roman-object-found-in-england/1000960/1 "2024-04-30T10:17:33Z")
What it says in the headline, really. I’d be very interested to find out what these things were used for by the Romans. > **[Amateur archaeologists uncover a mysterious ancient Roman artifact in England](https://www.npr.org/2024/01/24/1226575715/archaeologists-roman-empire-dodecahedron-england)** > > More than 100 of these artifacts have been found across Europe, but no one knows what they were used for. This dodecahedron was discovered fully intact and in excellent condition. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-roman-object-found-in-england/1000960/2 "2024-04-30T10:19:56Z")
There is a longish discussion here > [@\[Roman\] Dodecahedrons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roman-dodecahedrons/980459): > > Consider where these things are found. Why are they so frequently found, and always made of bronze? They might be Go/Nogo gauges used for making things like spears, arrows, sling bullets, fasteners used in carpentry or machine parts. (Yes, they had machines with moving parts back then). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-roman-object-found-in-england/1000960/3 "2024-04-30T14:12:24Z")
Pretty much any practical use that anyone has ever suggested for them, only fits a subset of the various different examples that have been found (they vary quite a bit). This might be the time when we have to stop poking fun at the archaeologists for saying ‘some kind of decorative or ceremonial or ritual purpose’. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-roman-object-found-in-england/1000960/4 "2024-05-01T04:05:13Z")
One of the suggested uses is making knitted gloves, and a number of crafters have done so, but there are problems with that theory ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-roman-object-found-in-england/1000960/5 "2024-05-01T04:34:17Z")
Hey, it ate my original post when I tried to edit. One suggestion was that it was used to knit gloves. However, I just watched a couple of tutorials, and they are basically using it like a knitting spool, but it’s more cumbersome > **[Spool knitting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spool_knitting)** > > Spool knitting, loom knitting, corking, French knitting, or tomboy knitting is a form of knitting that uses a spool with a number of nails or pegs around the rim to produce a tube or sheet of fabric. The spool knitting devices are called knitting spools, knitting nancys, knitting frame, knitting loom, or French knitters. > The technique is to wrap the yarn around all of the spool's pegs, twice. The lower loop of yarn is then lifted over the upper loop and off the peg, thereby creating stitches. Th... ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-roman-object-found-in-england/1000960/6 "2024-05-01T04:59:48Z")
[Cat toy?](https://images.app.goo.gl/Gn3LqGb39D5MFmdQ7)