Відео

Someone said one was found at a jewellers workshop, many others found at military sites. I guess at military places gold and war spoils were gathered. The valuable material was used as money and the less valuable stuff might have been lost or left. It might not be improbable that those tools were among war spoils and deemed not worthy to be carried around.

That looks like a far more convincing way of knitting that other attempts I've seen using the dodecahedron

Far and away the most convincing explanation I've heard regarding the use of the Roman (or is it Celtic?) dodecahedron. Plus an excellent demonstration to prove your theory - brilliant detective work! It appears to be a more complex form of what my gran, in the UK Midlands of the 1950s, used to call 'French Knitting' or 'caulking'. In that case the 'former' was a cotton reel with 4 panel pins around the top of the spindle hole and 'the caulk' product came out of the opposite side. I've always understood that the circular cord product was used to 'caulk' the gaps in planked boats.

Would someone give me a dollar for every “solved” dodecahedron? This video fails at the title. They weren’t Roman for a start, they were FOUND during part of the Roman era. NOT A SINGLE DODECAHEDRON HAS BEEN FOUND IN ITALY. Wouldn’t you think that the only places they have been found are 3 in Britain (in graves and by a road), 125 or so in France and a couple in both Germany and one on the Silk Road made of gold. Then there’s the 20 sided one without holes…

Well, I've seen convincing demonstrations in secret coding and now knitting? I'm not an expert in either field so I don't know. I saw a video where a guy used the thing to send secret messages, it looked like an explanation, but yours looks good too. Maybe they were used for both? While waiting for a reply to a secret message, the Roman commander could pass the time knitting? Great job! Thanks for the great videos!

You're explanation solves one of the biggest problems of these Dodecahedrons. They're all the same but they're not precisely the same dimensions.

Thou useful idea , this does not explaine all the elements of the device. Too much unsued balls , where you don't actually need them. To be honest , if you stare into the holes long enough , you will start to see some strange pattern to their sizes.

Ridiculous .

Nope, good try though, the object was never used until now for this purpose, srop.claiming anything is solved, it's tacky

Fabulous solution, and totally convincing! I'll bet this device might have helped in making chain-mail armor, too. Crafts-people, over the centuries, have invented many more things than they get credit for.

I don't think the metal jewelry theory makes sense considering that the scale is completely wrong to make finer chains. I do think the knitting turned out pretty reasonable.

If I freeze a banana in liquid nitrogen I can hammer a nail into soft wood with it. That does not mean that's what bananas are for.

There's a problem with this. Opposite side holes on found specimens are not the same size. You can't put a stick of uniform cross section through the dodecahedron this way.

already proven they were lanterns, candle wax still inside most of them, plenty of videos about it

Nice - but I'm not convinced. It's a bit like turning a piston rod into a rope maker.

Well done 👏

Stationary. Desk object. Used to easily tighten parchment scrolls then tie off for use by carrier pigeons. Send me one l, and I'll show you how and explain why.

Beautiful. These demanded such a simple, practical, and elegant explanation, as there is so much sensational rubbish online about them that fails to explain them as completely as this. As an engineer i recognised it as a specialist tool for some craft or purpose and racked my brain as to what for, and what purpose would need such progressive hole sizes; I also recognise this explanation as as my grandmother used to crochet a lot and these as the kind of tool she could have used. It also explains perfectly why the holes are progressive, but not standardised between different examples. The fact that there is no written record of them also ties to their use by women, by jewellers or by support trades. Thank you.

This definitely seems the most plausible and practical use of the roman dodecahedron.

The tail light proves what?

None of the recovered dodecahedrons have the kind of wear that would come from being used as a metal bending tool. None of the recovered Dodecahedrons show the kind of wear and tear you would expect on a tool. Because these are called "Roman Dodecahedrons" people get hung up on the idea that these are part of Roman technology...but none of these were ever found in Italy ,the Romans never mentioned them and there isn't a single Roman symbol on any of them. Almost all of them were found North and West of the Alps (The Celts) A couple have been recovered with wax residue inside. And some have been found in coin hoards. Since wax tablets were often used as "erasable notebooks" I strongly suspect this is a type of Celtic abacus and the wooden or leather pieces of it are long gone.

👍👍

I came upon your video because I had the exact same thought process and wondered if someone tried it! That would actually make the rings purposeful, as that would make it a little easier to pass a needle... the one found at Hadrian's Wall even have the tears at the edges from a needle passing regularly and indenting the metal. This is the most plausible hypothesis, well done!!!

An interesting theory however rope and wire weaving has been done for several years before these were developed, there are only around 130 found meaning there just are not enough to make all the rope and wire braid an empire would need, they only seem to appear in northern Europe and rope seems to show up else where and they were obly in use for a reletively short time. A good try but I feel not the answer

This doesn't help explain why these are typically found at military sites however...

This is the reason it was a tool I want one now!

Dodecahedrons work when you have "pentagonal" chains. I wonder if there were any "Roman cubes" found alongside the dodecahedrons for if you wanted "square" chains. Wouldn't a cube be much easier to make?

Another possibility It was used for making a torch. The reusable device has opposing holes with graduated sizes that allow you to slide in a branch or pole that is tapered to be a narrower diameter at the top than the bottom. This keeps the device from sliding down onto the hands of the torch bearer. The round nodes are perfect to help tie down strips of cloth or linen (usually dipped in wax) to the device. Winter nights are longer at northern latitudes… where they tend to be found

Utterly convincing, well demonstrated Amy. No other current theory comes close.

This is absolutely fantastic!

No, hand knitting wasn't discovered by the Romans. Try searching Google Scholar instead and you'll find this: mgu.bg/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Vol.-57-IV-2014.pdf and go to pages 23-27 (it'll be in English).

That's awesome, Amy. Glove fingers, braided cords, jewelry. I think you may have solved this one.

Wow how did you begin to learn this? Did you just see it and go I know what that’s for? Been wondering what these were for years. Finally someone figured it out amazing.🤩

Genius. Were any ancient ropes and chains found that match the weaving pattern you created with this device? If so, then ultra bingo! There is also the icosahedron with tiny holes. For very finely woven chains and cords?

that's amazing but would soldiers be wearing gold armor? maybe they were all walking around in lead.. we know they're lead sewer system was a part of they're collapse right? congratulations i think you nailed it.

The dodecahedrons are in fact a Tessera Arca (Knuckle Box ring sizer) and were used specifically to measure the fingers (knuckle) in order to size rings that were made from coins . Back in the day if you wanted a ring made from precious metal the easiest way to do this was to use an old coin. However this practise of destroying legal tender was just as illegal back in the day as it is in most countries today so the craftsmen and women who offered this service were usually transitory and highly secretive about their trade. This accounts for the service not being available in the Mediterranean (heart of the) Roman Empire, and generally practised in the North-West of the Empire. As such no dodecahedra have been found outside this region to date. The client impressed and encouraged by the sheer craftsmanship of the dodecahedron, that was a remarkable feat of engineering skill in those days, would slip their chosen ring ringer or thumb into the 12 available holes of the dodecahedron until the correct fit was ascertained. The craftsman would then place the coin to be used (a 34mm Sestertius) over the hole using the surrounding nodules to hold the coin in position whilst it was scribed from the opposite side (from within the dodecahedron) with the outline of the circle. The coin could now be removed from the tessera and worked. Firstly a hole would have been drilled and cut in the centre of the coin. in the centre of the coin, almost as wide as the guide mark. The coin would then be placed on a tapered metal spike and hammered with a soft mallet so it folds over until it makes a flat ring. A bit of filing and the ring is finished and fits perfectly. A skilled technician could thus create a ring whilst his customer waited, in just a couple of hours, and then on receipt of payment disappear into the shadows. Of course there were easier ways to size a ring, they could have used a simple bunch of sample rings, but this would be much more conspicuous and far less alluring than a dodecahedron placed on a dimly lit tavern table, probably with a small candle lit inside to accentuate the object and add to its mysticism and curiosity. The tessera was not just a tool, it was a shop window advertising sign. And of course if the craftsman were caught in possession of a dodecahedron, well the authorities would be totally baffled and have no better idea of its actual use just as we do today.

In addition, referring to my post below, no dodecahedrons have ever been found outside northern Europe, and importantly, none in Rome itself, and so the expert conclusion currently is that it is a Celtic Romano artefact, rather than anything the Romans themselves invented and passed on through the Empire.

Professor Alice Roberts did consider this as a possible use, but commented on an absence of wear on the larger dodecahedron example found at Norton Disney. This one, on analysis consisted of 25% lead contained in the alloy and so would have been soft enough to display wear on the friction points around the prominent nodule spheres on each corner, and there was none. However, the video demo evidence is compelling.

I think you've cracked it, bravo. (Also with the yarn examples, perfect fingers for gloves!)

'[none of the dodecahedra] have been found in Italy...It would have taken a very skilled craftsman to make them. They are made out of a copper alloy and would have been quite expensive'

It would be hysterical if we found modern jewelers have these tools in use every day, and the whole problem is that no one consulted them.

Thank you!

This proves that the internet might not be evil after all. Also I kind of want one...

If it turns out that opposite holes are the same size on all these dodecahedrons then your use of a wooden rod to aid the knitting/weaving process would seem to be correct.

Now I want one

Wonderful sleuthing! But I also admire the inventor enormously!

I am absolutely convinced that you've nailed this, Amy - a combination frame and drawing plate tool for what we call Viking knit chains. There are plenty of tutorials on UA-cam about how these chains are handcrafted and it's plain to see the utility of the dodecahedron in the process, as you've clearly demonstrated. Great work! You should be widely credited for your insight.

Mystery of Roman Dodecahedron solved: ua-cam.com/video/JGUESo2pFxY/v-deo.html

This is a practical and demonstrable solution. These would have been a vital technology in many domains. Your use of the wooden rod in conjunction tidies up the process and demonstrates how adept the process could be. The drawing through of strands through successively smaller holes is a great insight into how cordage could be packed once wound. You demonstrate great acumen.

Well demonstrated and I think you are bang on the money 👍