Roman Dodecahedron Curiosity

There have been about 120 of these bronze dodecahedrons unearthed in ancient Roman excavations. These have been presented in several television shows describing unusual artifacts from archeological excavations. The use of these has never been discovered, but there are many theories. Maybe you can figure it out.

• 1/8 inch thick Baltic birch plywood
• wood glue
• paint of your desired colors
• masking tape
• 3/8 inch diameter wooden balls
• laser cutter/etcher

Paint both sides of the Baltic birch plywood. After the paint has dried, place masking tape on one side, covering the entire area where the pentagons will be cut and scored. Have the masking tape on the top surface. Use the laser to score the inner decorative bands and cut out the pentagon shapes.

Before removing the pentagons from the laser, write the hole diameter on the masking tape. This will be needed when assembling the dodecahedron. The laser files are named such that the hole diameter is part of the file name.

Remove the masking tape from the decorative circles that have been scored through the masking tape. Paint the exposed area with whatever color you like. The colors used here are intended to mimic the patina of aged bronze.

Using the template in the picture, begin gluing the pentagons in place. This Roman dodecahedron has been recreated from actual dimensions and sizes from an an unearthed Roman dodecahedron.

As with the holes in the Roman dodecahedron, the purpose of these balls on the vertices is not known. Glue them in place, let the glue dry, and paint the balls.

Place it on your coffee table. Set it on your office desk. Maybe someone will figure out what this was used for.