# Killgrove 2025: Roman dodecahedron: A mysterious 12-sided object that has baffled archaeologists for centuries > Kristina Killgrove, 2025. 10 records on Mysteries Department cite it. Cited for corpus figures and find contexts. Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D5Y5KS24XXW/roman-dodecahedron-a-mysterious-12-sided-object-that-has Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) --- [Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Gallo-Roman dodecahedra](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra)Killgrove 2025 **0** # Roman dodecahedron: A mysterious 12-sided object that has baffled archaeologists for centuries Kristina Killgrove, 2025. _Live Science_. Explainer of 14 July 2025: at least 120 examples, 4–10 cm and 30–580 g, late 2nd to late 4th century AD, from graves, coin hoards and refuse, never inscribed; the Gellep example from a woman's grave with a bone rod. **Gallo-Roman dodecahedra** Web pageChecked against the original0 ## What it's used for here Cited for corpus figures and find contexts. ## Cited by on this site 10 records [Hole sizes vary freely between objects.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra/answers/ANS0D5Y5ZG27WBT/hole-sizes-vary-freely-between-objects) Answer ANS [Gellep dodecahedron from a woman's grave](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra/artifacts/ART0D5Y62DT33E3/gellep-dodecahedron-from-a-womans-grave) ART [No inscription or text links the objects to any cult.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra/evidence/EVD0D5Y5XSC7ZBB/no-inscription-or-text-links-the-objects-to-any-cult) Evidence EVD [Overall size and weight vary several-fold across the corpus.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra/evidence/EVD0D5Y5ZQW170X/overall-size-and-weight-vary-several-fold-across-the-corpus) Evidence EVD [Size (4–10 cm), weight (30–580 g) and hole sizes vary widely between examples.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra/evidence/EVD0D5Y5VTW7JTP/size-410-cm-weight-30580-g-and-hole-sizes-vary-widely) Evidence EVD [The Gellep example lay in a woman's grave beside a bone rod, perhaps a staff.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra/evidence/EVD0D5Y5X9R1SZ5/the-gellep-example-lay-in-a-womans-grave-beside-a-bone-rod) Evidence EVD [A dodecahedron is excavated from a woman's grave at Gellep beside a bone rod](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra/events/EVT0D5Y5SCR233K/a-dodecahedron-is-excavated-from-a-womans-grave-at-gellep) EVT [Dodecahedra are cast and end up in graves, coin hoards and refuse across the north-western provinces](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra/events/EVT0D5Y5RX41P05/dodecahedra-are-cast-and-end-up-in-graves-coin-hoards-and) EVT [The Gallo-Roman dodecahedra](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra) The mystery article MYS [What were the Gallo-Roman dodecahedra for?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra/questions/QST0D5Y5TKT7BZY/what-were-the-gallo-roman-dodecahedra-for) Question QST ## Cite it ``` Killgrove, K. (2025). Roman dodecahedron: A mysterious 12-sided object that has baffled archaeologists for centuries. Live Science. https://livescience.com/archaeology/romans/roman-dodecahedron-a-mysterious-12-sided-object-that-has-baffled-archaeologists-for-centuries ``` [Read it free at livescience.com](https://livescience.com/archaeology/romans/roman-dodecahedron-a-mysterious-12-sided-object-that-has-baffled-archaeologists-for-centuries) Key **SRC** 0D5Y5KS24XXW Kind Web page Rights The publisher's Kept 28 Oct 2026, for editors Checked Against the published original Added by [apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo) The record Bibliographic records are CC0. Take this one as CSL-JSON, BibTeX or RIS. [CSL-JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D5Y5KS24XXW/roman-dodecahedron-a-mysterious-12-sided-object-that-has/csl.json)