Unlike many other ancient artifacts, there are actually about a hundred of these mysterious objects floating around. Typically made of either stone or bronze, the hollow Roman dodecahedrons have 12 sides, with a small circle on each, and pegs jutting out from the connecting corners.
Although they resemble nautical devices, the purpose of these dodecahedrons is unknown. Historians have guessed everything from fortune tellers to candleholders. Some say they were used for astrological or religious means. Experts have dated them as far back as the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, and suggest they were used to sow winter grains, or even to calibrate water pipes for Roman architects.
