Aside from making mysterious dodecahedrons, that is.

Article here.

(And no, it's not The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch )



Since 1739, some 130 of these objects [varying in size from about 2" to 4" like this one] have been discovered across Northern and Western Europe. While archaeologists have dated the relics to Roman times, they have been baffled by the objects for centuries, with no consensus ever emerging on what they were for. There is no known written description of them in ancient texts; nor do any pictorial references exist...

...Proponents of this theory [religious or ritual object] also point to the intricacy of the object itself, suggesting it probably had special value. According to Hitchens, the relic was made using a lost-wax bronze-casting process, an extremely technical feat — made even more challenging by the fact that the final product was hollow. “It’s a difficult shape to work with. You have to be really at the top of your game to make one of these,” she said...

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

Fidget spinners. You could get them at VII XI.

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The best I can with what I got

You have to ask yourself why
OR
I’m not saying it’s aliens but it’s aliens

It's an armourers tool for gauging sling projectiles. The big ones are suitable for lions and tigers and bears.

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"I also cook."

What size for zombies?

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I told you not to use Lifebuoy

I've seen those talked about before. There is so much yet to be learned from history.

I think they are prototype Dungeons and Dragons dice! For the Neolithic Nerds. They fell out of favor when Martin Luther got the sale of indulgences suspended.

Ivan

Ancient form of entertainment which combined bocce, cornhole and Jarts. Lost to history due to dads finding them laying around in the dark with their open toed sandals.

Its something to amuse your cat. You put it on the table and they in turn knock it off. Repeat as often as the cat will let you!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Modern art of the time...owning one was a status symbol. That or a very interesting ball for a lawn game like croquet.

I have read about these, and indeed there is no consensus of opinion about their purpose. The fact that there are 12 faces and each face has a hole of a different diameter indicates to me that it was likely to have been a measurement instrument or gauge, exact application unknown.

It's a gauge for cooking spaghetti, for one up to twelve servings.

Except that they're all different diameters, from about 2" to 4". Not durable enough for a tool (or cat toy - nice try, NY Lakesider ) The total absence of any written or graphic description lends some weight to the suggestion that they may have had some secret religious or ritualistic function that forbade documentation. Possibly some connection with druidic rituals? What might be the significance of the number 12? A 12-sided object could be thought to be able to "see" in all directions.

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

The answers found in this thread are a prime example of why I come here every day!

I have a dodecahedron made of metal. That is a old time gambling dice type game I think. Has a O and a Star and P or T with a number on different sides. I think this how it worked. Players ante a number of chips roll this "dice". P or T comes up with a number on it you put or take that amount from pot. Star comes up you win the pot. O comes up you double the pot. When you role it one side always is up.

My first thought. You beat me to it.

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Not in jail.

Plus, they were really hard to nail to a church door.

I suppose they could be non-working prototypes (or however you say "proof of concept model" in Latin) for The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch... But I'll admit it's a stretch...

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

Gladiator Pickleball?

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

With zombies, size doesn't matter, it's shot placement.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

Except so much has been forgotten. It took years of diligent research and experimentation to discover how the Incas produced a certain shade of blue. We still don't know how the ancients got copper weapons to hold an edge, but apparently they did. The formula for Greek Fire is also AWOL.

It's not just stuff from antiquity that gets forgotten. Back in the early '80s at my first job a coworker was having trouble with our prototype engineering department. There was an intense debate with them about what was possible. My coworker took an "artifact" down to them and said, "Have a look at this and give me an estimate on when you can produce a copy."

Three weeks later the engineering department got back to him and said, "Sorry, no can do. We have no clue how to make this."

(...and now the punchline, drumroll please....)

My coworker replied, "Really? That's odd, your area built that item for us in 1963."

I understand the phone line went a little quiet.

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Release the Kraken

Yes, of course! The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch! 'Tis one of the sacred relics Brother Maynard carries with him. Brother Maynard! Bring up the Holy Hand Grenade!

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213th FBINA

You can always fall back on explaining that the purpose of any object you can't identify being that it was some ancient astronomical device to predict eclipses, seasons, aid ocean navigation, etc. Like the Vikings possessing magic crystals that allowed them to always know where on the sea they were, even on cloudy days, so they could successfully navigate anywhere.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Saw a segment on a TV program called Strangest Things. They had a segment on these and there is a consensus as to their use and the reason so many have been found. It is not a weapon or gaming piece. It is a knitting device to knit gloves. They did a demonstration as to how it was used. Kind of disappointing to say the least.

It's a lamp. The various-sized holes will fit over a variety of candles of different diameters. Here's a modern version:

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What, me worry?

Mohel template.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

From another article:

“Most likely they were some form of religious or ritual object,” [Richard Parker, secretary of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group] said. “The Romans were a very superstitious lot, and generally required signs to allow them to make decisions in their daily lives.”

One indication supporting that idea is that the object was found near a small Roman mounted rider god figurine with “strong religious connections,” Parker said. The artifact was discovered in 1989 by metal detectorists, and the figurine is “often found on temple sites.”

and with the rise of Christianity, any such "magic" would have to be kept secret.

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

The Wikipedia article on the dodecahedrons explores numerous theories as to what purposes the devices could have served (including glove knitting) but there is, to date, no hard evidence establishing that any of them is correct. And similar items have been discovered far from Europe.

Calendar doorstop…different face to step on in the dark after slipping on the spilled spaghetti while watching the aliens every month.

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50 Years of DSOTM

I once had a dodecahedron desk calendar about the size of a baseball. Each face had a one month calendar on it. But no holes and no little knobs. And it was made out of plastic.

I didn't think they knew about COVID back then!

It's a 3.57" magnum sling projectile.

It's a bottle opener...

It would seem we are not the only people (!) with theories about this thing, as the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group put this on their "Contact Us" page:

Is your message about the use of the dodecahedron we found?

If so please DO NOT CONTACT US with your suggestion of what it was used for. As a group we are not in a position to deal with the hundreds of suggestions submitted about it’s use. A more specialist archaeologist is more likely to be able to help you. So please do not message us in these circumstances!

I can see someone there making up a t-shirt that says "There's more to Lincolnshire than dodecahedrons!"

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

I seem to recall reading that when archeologists can't figure out what something is, they decide it "has religious significance."

Or built by Ancient Aliens!-

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

That reminds me of high school shop class. Whenever someone's project didn't turn out as hoped for, it got some grooves in it and became an "ashtray".

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protocalldesign.com

But the budding shootists turned out "flying ashtrays"

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)