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Description: | An incomplete cast copper alloy dodecahedron. The twelve-sided object is hollow (crudely cast on the interior) with flat faces and knobs at each corner. One knop has broken off and is loose. Six complete faces survive, while half of a further five faces are visible. Large circular holes of different sizes are pierced through each face, these are irregularly cut. Some of the holes have been drawn around with an incised pentagonal line. The broken edges are rough and crude. The metal is a mid greyish-green colour. Approximate width of each face: 42mm, approximate length of each face: 38mm.A very similar example 'was found during the 19th century excavations of South Shields Roman fort (Arbeia).' See: http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/archive/index.html Accession Number 1923.13. This example measures: Width of each face:52mm, Length of each face:48mm. The Museum of Antiquities at Newcastle states that : 'Bronze dodecahedra have been found on many sites in the northern provinces of the Roman Empire in contexts which range from the 1st - 4th century AD.' They add: 'Two others are known from the north of England - from Corbridge and Newcastle upon Tyne. Their purpose has been widely discussed without any firm conclusion being reached. Suggestions have ranged from surveying instruments to candlesticks to polygonal dice. A recent suggestion is that they are sceptre heads but the argument is not conclusive and further evidence is required for these enigmatic items to be fully understood.' See: Allason-Jones, L., and Miket, R.F., Catalogue of Small Finds from South Shields Roman Fort (1984) No. 3.741.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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