Roman artifacts are still a mystery after 300 years.
from bigthink
Some suggestions:
- A specific type of dice for a game since lost to history.
- A magical object, possibly from the Celtic religion. A similar small, hollow object with protrusions was recovered from Pompeii in a box with either jewellery or items for magic.
- A toy for children.
- A weight for fishing nets.
- The head of a chieftain’s scepter.
- A kind of musical instrument.
- A tool to estimate distances and survey land, especially for military purposes.
- An instrument to estimate the size of and distance to objects on the battlefield for the benefit of the artillery.
- A device for detecting counterfeit coins.
- A calendar for determining the spring and autumn equinoxes and/or the optimal date for sowing wheat.
- A candle holder. (Wax residue was found in one or two of the objects recovered.)
- A connector for metal or wooden poles.
- A knitting tool specifically for gloves. (That would explain why no dodecahedrons were found in the warmer regions of the Empire.)
- A gauge to calibrate water pipes.
- A base for eagle standards. (Each Roman legion carried a symbolic bird on a staff into battle.)
- An astrological device used for fortune-telling. (Inscribed on a dodecahedron found in Geneva in 1982 were the Latin names for the 12 signs of the zodiac.)
While theAbysmal has no suggestion, the two underlined time-related suggestions are most intriguing.
Rethinking Time 