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are something of an enigma: there is no known mention of these 12-sided, hollow objects in ancient Roman texts or images.
I am part of the local archaeology group behind the recent discovery of a Roman dodecahedron in Norton Disney, near Lincoln. There is no uniformity in the size or shape of the dodecahedra found so far, nor in their metal composition or even in the level of craftsmanship. If they were important objects, we would expect to also discover contextual evidence in the archaeological record, such as depictions in paintings or mosaics.It does feel that this object will remain a mystery for some time – which might be why so many people are fascinated by it.
The dodecahedron has undergone some initial analysis in order to try to provide some more clues about it. A handheld XRF analysis, a technique used to analyse element composition, was carried out by archaeometallurgist Gerry McDonnell, an expert in the past use and production of metals by humans. It revealed that the composition of the object was mostly a mix of copper alloy , with tin and lead .
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