"Everyone knows what a horse is"
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Here's my contribution to the 'what the fuck are these things' guesses:
Its a customizable, weighted D12.
You stick the coins into the slots, then do some kind of gambling involving dice rolls.
Part of the game is that as coins are added or removed, the weighting changes.
Hell, it could be that you take turns tossing the thing till its full of coins, as a way of anteing up, then just toss it again untill its empty, everyone takes a drink when it lands with a hollow slot face up.
The educated, literate people probably wouldn't bother to write down the exact details of a low class gambling game, when literacy is rare and scrolls/books are expensive.
The things have reportedly often been found in cabinets and drawers alongside coins.
They vary in size... maybe some of the rather large ones could be commissioned as not a practical gambling die, but as an exxageratedly large one, as a trophy or ornament, like modern mall ninja swords or funko pops or
Possibly they could also serve a practical purpose for normal people and coin minters to check that their coins are properly sized.
Any... Roman numismatists here that can sanity check this, in terms of coin sizes?
The educated, literate people probably wouldn’t bother to write down the exact details of a low class gambling game, when literacy is rare and scrolls/books are expensive.
Interesting enough, the Roman Emperor Claudius, who was an enthusiastic dicer, wrote a book on gaming/gambling. It's been lost to time, unfortunately.
Literacy is a funny question in regards to the Roman Empire, as is the price of scrolls/books. There's limited evidence that scrolls and books were actually cheaper in the Roman Empire than in the 15th century AD, just before and in-the-early-days-of moveable type, and that urban literacy was fairly widespread. The big problem is that the vast majority of ancient writing simply has not survived the ages.
I'm not well-informed about the dodecahedrons or the theories surrounding them, but I'm inclined to find your explanation, while interesting, probably a bit too complex. Especially considering that coins were often slightly irregular in shape, as the mass-produced neat, perfect circles that we're used to are a result of modern milled coinage
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The educated, literate people probably wouldn’t bother to write down the exact details of a low class gambling game, when literacy is rare and scrolls/books are expensive.
Interesting enough, the Roman Emperor Claudius, who was an enthusiastic dicer, wrote a book on gaming/gambling. It's been lost to time, unfortunately.
Literacy is a funny question in regards to the Roman Empire, as is the price of scrolls/books. There's limited evidence that scrolls and books were actually cheaper in the Roman Empire than in the 15th century AD, just before and in-the-early-days-of moveable type, and that urban literacy was fairly widespread. The big problem is that the vast majority of ancient writing simply has not survived the ages.
I'm not well-informed about the dodecahedrons or the theories surrounding them, but I'm inclined to find your explanation, while interesting, probably a bit too complex. Especially considering that coins were often slightly irregular in shape, as the mass-produced neat, perfect circles that we're used to are a result of modern milled coinage
Ah well, worth a shot.
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A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE BEACON
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And they don't show signs of wear and tear that using them for such a purpose would create, either.
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That is not an uncommon guess, but the argument against it is that these took some sophistication to make. This isn't some disposable gewgaw. These were made with relatively tight tolerances and exhibited the best metalworking fabrication of the age. One theory I've seen seriously floated was that they were made as a demonstration of metal working competency, the equivalent of a benchy in 3D printing.
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Obviously it's a key that needs to be inserted into an ancient titan robot to power it back up.
What an utterly ridiculous notion. Obviously it's a magical battery that, once charged, can be inserted into an ancient titan robot to power it back up.
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Have you ever been inserted or had something inserted?
I have been ejected. Does that count?
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it's an oil lamp.
use discs with or without holes to adjust brightness.
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Archeologists after looking at literally anything: Looks like a calendar. Or maybe a religious object. Or maybe a calendar of religions significance.
or something used in “fertility rituals”
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or something used in “fertility rituals”
Translation: it's clearly a dildo, but if i put that into the study they won't publish it.
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Translation: it's clearly a dildo, but if i put that into the study they won't publish it.
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And they don't show signs of wear and tear that using them for such a purpose would create, either.
My crochet hooks don't show a lot of wear either.
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I remember reading a book as a kid, I can't remember if it was this or maybe inspired by this, but adapted for kids (iirc the art style was more cartoony and comedic) where archeologists unearth a motel called the Toot and C'mon.
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That is not an uncommon guess, but the argument against it is that these took some sophistication to make. This isn't some disposable gewgaw. These were made with relatively tight tolerances and exhibited the best metalworking fabrication of the age. One theory I've seen seriously floated was that they were made as a demonstration of metal working competency, the equivalent of a benchy in 3D printing.
Maybe they're just like the ancient equivalent of the fancy expensive gaudy crystal pieces you can get today.
God so many better ways to spend $1800
They probably just have no practical purpose.
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That is not an uncommon guess, but the argument against it is that these took some sophistication to make. This isn't some disposable gewgaw. These were made with relatively tight tolerances and exhibited the best metalworking fabrication of the age. One theory I've seen seriously floated was that they were made as a demonstration of metal working competency, the equivalent of a benchy in 3D printing.
If that's the case, it could have been a craftsman's magnum opus. A certification you prominently display to show your wares aren't forgeries.
