What were the Gallo-Roman dodecahedra for?
Most likely: they were religious or magical objects, used for divination or as symbols of the cosmos, perhaps mounted on…Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
Where it stands
Six answers have been proposed. They were religious or magical objects, used for divination or as symbols of the cosmos, perhaps mounted on… leads, with evidence 3 for, 1 against: partly supported by its tests. Five are still possible. Of the two narrower questions under it, none is answered yet.
Answers 6
History
- Sparavigna puts forward: they were measuring instruments, such as rangefinders, surveying aids or devices for fixing the sowing date…
- Sparavigna: the geometry of opposed holes of different size can work as a coincidence rangefinder.For: They were measuring instruments, such as rangefinders, surveying aids or devices for fixing the sowing date…
- Metcalfe: the concentration in the north-western provinces and absence from Italy fit a regional, unofficial practice.For: They were religious or magical objects, used for divination or as symbols of the cosmos, perhaps mounted on…
- Tipper: the Norton Disney example shows no evidence of wear.Against: They were craft tools, such as knitting frames for gloves or moulds for forming wax tokens.
- Tipper: the objects are complex castings with no two alike.For: They were showpieces or tokens proving a bronze-caster's skill.
- Guggenberger & Leach puts forward: they were religious or magical objects, used for divination or as symbols of the cosmos, perhaps mounted on…
- Killgrove: the Gellep example lay in a woman's grave beside a bone rod, perhaps a staff.For: They were religious or magical objects, used for divination or as symbols of the cosmos, perhaps mounted on…
- Lamb puts forward: they were craft tools, such as knitting frames for gloves or moulds for forming wax tokens.
- Marshall puts forward: they were showpieces or tokens proving a bronze-caster's skill.
- Vashakidze puts forward: they were parts of traps for catching snakes.
- Lamb: a 3D-printed replica forms repeatable wax tokens, with knobs as depth stops.For: They were craft tools, such as knitting frames for gloves or moulds for forming wax tokens.
- Vashakidze: a reconstruction works mechanically and findspots correlate with water-rich regions.For: They were parts of traps for catching snakes.
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