The Roman Dodecahedron - A Solution

This is my solution to the Roman Dodecahedron and it's most likely use in the Roman Empire.

And its definitely NOT for knitting glove fingers!!

[MikeBaxterABC]

4:38 I had to rewind and watch it 3 times ... I thought he was asking for "Mucho Dinosaurs" ... LOL

[scottshawn]

Braiding gold wire seems to be the most convincing video Ive watched by far.

[PhilFake-ewwk]

Nah. I go with braiding gold wire. That's why the opposite holes are the same size. Why they were found with treasure.

[RogerMondo]

Regarding the Roman Dodecahedron, the proposed purpose that I like most is “Candle Holder”.
-The holes fit various sizes of candles, since there was no standardized manufacturing
-Heavy and stable - very important with a burning candle
-Will not catch fire when candle burns down
-Rings on each face catch dripping wax (which was found on some of them)
-The ball feet keep it stable on irregular surfaces
-The Dodecahedron are found in the northern parts of the Roman Empire where winter nights are longer and candles were more necessary and valuable.

[zappababe]

I loved the "Juliarse Caesar" joke - and the joke about the new idea for a salad! 😂

[wheatthicks]

You'd think the treasury in Rome would have a few spares laying around then. Or do you suppose they crafted them on demand?

[aSnailCyclopsNamedSteve]

A few counterpoints. 1. Too expensive for that purpose, 2. Some would have been found with wire, which provides better security. 3. Counting and seals continued after the disappearance of Roman culture but such a handy device did not. Why? 4. Since the purpose was not described in any text, and I would think the voluminous Latin texts would have do so, it is more likely two things: A. a trade secret and knowing how to read a counting device is not a trade secret and B. it is connected with something that disappeared when these objects vanish from the record. A recent suggestion is a chain weaving device and that fits the criteria.

[TheMuskokaman]

They are for weaving gold wire into fancy braided chain. After you've woven the wire into an 7" long piece lets say, you can reduce it's diameter by feeding it through progressively smaller holes whilst maintaining the integrity of the braid. This also lengthens the chain. Goldsmiths of the Roman era would have been familiar with this technology. Also likely why they are associated with gold hordes.

[radio-ged]

Until we find written evidence of its use I wonder if we will ever really know its true purpose. It could well have missing parts which have perished. The biggest clues we have so far are what they are found with, the approximate time of use, what they are made of, how they are made, the differences between each one found, the lack of wear marks and where they were found. The more that are found the better chance we have of explaining them. I like it that lots of people are coming up with different ideas, conversations, discussions and arguments. Our best hope is that humans made them so humans should be able to solve what their purpose(s) is/are.

[Gerryof]

Not just the fingers... you can knit the entire glove, the whole hand on a dodecahedron. But you could also make a garment, a sort of tunic with sleeves. It's possible your solution is also correct... the Dodecahedron may be a Multi-Use tool.

[donerskine]

Nice try but totally unconvinced. There must be simpler ways, equally secure, of sending certification. Does the 'wax' supposedly found on two dodecahedra match the sealing 'wax' that was used by Romans? How does your system accommodate reverse order characters in the Roman number system (e.g. XXI versus XIX)?

[jonathanfieldhouse]

ROMAN DODECAHEDRON - TESSERA ARCA (KNUCKLE BOX)
The recent discovery of another Roman Dodecahedron in England has reignited the debate as to the purpose of this unusual item. All manner of bizarre theories have been suggested, but strangely none have been correct. Such suggestions range from celestial measuring devices, sacred objects, gambling dice, cunning weapons of war, candle holders and votives, distributors of dog treats and even a device for knitting the fingers of gloves (which it can be used for, just as it can be used as a paperweight).
The dodecahedrons are in fact a Tessera Arca (Knuckle Box ring sizer) and were used specifically to measure the fingers (knuckle) in order to size rings that were made from coins . Back in the day if you wanted a ring made from precious metal the easiest way to do this was to use an old coin. However this practise of destroying legal tender was just as illegal back in the day as it is in most countries today so the craftsmen and women who offered this service were usually transitory and highly secretive about their trade. This accounts for the service not being available in the Mediterranean (heart of the) Roman Empire, and generally practised in the North-West of the Empire. As such no dodecahedra have been found outside this region to date.
The client impressed and encouraged by the sheer craftsmanship of the dodecahedron, that was a remarkable feat of engineering skill in those days, would slip their chosen ring ringer or thumb into the 12 available holes of the dodecahedron until the correct fit was ascertained. The craftsman would then place the coin to be used over the hole using the surrounding nodules to hold the coin in position whilst it was scribed from the opposite side (from within the dodecahedron) with the outline of the circle.
The coin could now be removed from the tessera and worked. Firstly a hole would have been drilled and cut in the centre of the coin. in the centre of the coin, almost as wide as the guide mark. The coin would then be placed on a tapered metal spike and hammered with a soft mallet so it folds over until it makes a flat ring. A bit of filing and the ring is finished and fits perfectly.
A skilled technician could thus create a ring whilst his customer waited, in just a couple of hours, and then on receipt of payment disappear into the shadows. Of course there were easier ways to size a ring, they could have used a simple bunch of sample rings, but this would be much more conspicuous and far less alluring than a dodecahedron placed on a dimly lit tavern table, probably with a small candle lit inside to accentuate the object and add to its mysticism and curiosity. The tessera was not just a tool, it was a shop window advertising sign. And of course if the craftsman were caught in possession of a dodecahedron, well the authorities would be totally baffled and have no better idea of its actual use just as we do today.
It is hardly surprising therefore that there are no records of dodecahedra being used in ancient Rome or openly anywhere else and that several dodecahedra have been found with coin hoards. It is more than likely that the service and the dodecahedra were not even Roman in origin, and more likely to be Galic, Celtic or performed by some other person. Certainly the service would not have been available to respectable wealthy Romans, who in any case required a much grander design of ring. Tessera rings were mote than likely offered only to the Plebecites and drunken soldiers and indigenous tribes.

[NotAvailable_na]

I propose spearhead cover to protect people from getting hurt. It will fit any spearhead with and size. You just pop it on and you set it aside. The rounded extrusions help protect people from getting hurt by keeping a distance from the sharp edges of the spearhead. Have to come to contact with it since it's a spherical rounded surface, to person cannot get hurt.

[MikeBaxterABC]

Imagine someone in Rome, finding one of these, and making some duplicates in an attempt to find out what it was used for, and 20 other guys doing the same thing!! :) And none of the originals are available now, so THEY don't even know! :)

[beingaware]

The dodecahedron may very well be the only surviving item in a cryptography system. The wax was to seal the encrypted message. All were found at military bases. An encrypted wheel fit in one of the many round holes, part of the coding system. The different wheels and holes all had a particular cyper. Much like the different drum choices on an Enigma machine led to cypher scrambling. Anyhow, the round hole was stamped into the wax on the cyphered letter from the author. The receiver, who had an identical dodecahedron, matched the hole, added the correspinding cypher wheel, and unlocked the message. A good description of this on another channel. Fascinating proposals.

[purdunetae]

Making gold chains. You have a similar idea but put a dowel through two holes. At the base weave a wire around the knobs on one side. Stitch through the loops and work your way down the dowel. Then you can pull the wire chain through smaller and smaller holes until you have a small, woven, gold chain. Credit to Amy Gaines Youtube channel.

[alanplumbridge]

Sailing Mr Nice, eh? I think the enigma may have recently been solved, Len. The Roman Dodecahedron is an ancient Enigma Machine, for encoding and decoding military signals. The different sized holes are to fit a set of twelve differently-sized dowels fixed to paper rings with letters around the circumference. The small, spherical pegs engage in holes around the circumference of the circular paper rings. If we had the paper and wooden parts, its purpose would have easily been deduced.

[arsinoeivlostprincess]

Candle holder. Candles were not standardized in diameter. They used candles as timing devices as well I've heard. Easier to deal with than an oil lamp.

[מוגוגוגו]

Nice one, But thi s doesn't really explain the shape or the form. You can really make this in another shape and achieve the same thing, no holes, no Dodecahedron.

[stefanb]

What is your take on all the knitting channels, betting on that the roman dodecahedron is a tool for knitting fingered gloves or for producing sturdy ropes or chains? It makes sense in a military context, because the items produced with it are just in demand, especially in the northern regions, and it could be found with treasure hordes merely by merit of being a rather expensive tool?