Latest news with #Gallo-Roman
BBC News
5 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
'Mysterious' Roman artefact to go on show in Nottingham
A rare "mysterious" Gallo-Roman dodecahedron discovered by an amateur archaeological team has gone on display in 12-sided hollow object will be on show at the University of Nottingham Museum at Lakeside Arts from Friday until 18 January museum said the item was one of archaeology's enigmas as its purpose remains unknown and there are no references in Roman texts or depictions of artefact - which stands about 8cm tall and weighs 245g - was found in the Potter Hill area of Norton Disney, Lincolnshire, in June 2023. The Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group began excavating at a Roman site in the village close to a Roman villa and the Fosse Way Roman road in museum said the excavation was coming to an end when the team discovered the "rare and very fine example" of a Gallo-Roman said while most other examples have been found damaged, or as fragments, the Norton Disney dodecahedron was complete and in "remarkable condition".Richard Parker, secretary of the archaeology group, said: "We thought we were very much on a fairly routine Roman site, finding lots of Roman masonry, huge amount of Roman pottery and then on the second to last day, we made this really spectacular and unusual discovery of a Gallo-Roman dodecahedron."It was found unusually in a Roman quarry pit with lots of other materials, such as pottery and bone and nails."That tells us a little bit about the dating of it and gives us a clue about why that dodecahedron was found there."Mr Parker said it is the only one to be discovered in the Midlands of the 33 identified in Britain. In January 2024, the find featured in an episode of Digging for Britain, with presenter Prof Alice Roberts saying: "It has to be one of the greatest, most mysterious, archaeological objects I've ever had the opportunity to look at up close."Mr Parker said after this the discovery got worldwide attention."The curiosity is that people have been finding them for 300 years and nobody has any idea what they are," he said."It's so unusual, so odd in appearance, and just makes absolutely no sense."There's still a great mystery within archaeology," he added.A total of 130 dodecahedra that have been found have come from the area known to the Romans as Gaul. This included modern France and Belgium, as well as parts of the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. The museum said the discovery prompts further questions about Norton Disney's importance in Roman artefact is part of a free Norton Disney dodecahedron exhibition, which looks back at the last two years of excavations at the Roman site, and delves into the current understanding of the mysterious dodecahedron. Mr Parker added the exhibition will also "illustrate the circumstances" of how the dodecahedron was found and the history of the Saturday, the museum will be celebrating the opening of the exhibition by being part of the free Roman-themed, Festival of Archaeology event.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Roman dodecahedron: A mysterious 12-sided object that has baffled archaeologists for centuries
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Name: Roman dodecahedron What it is: A 12-sided bronze object Where it is from: Northwestern provinces of the Roman Empire When it was made: Second to fourth centuries A.D. Related: Penguin Vessel: 1,600-year-old Nazca depiction of a cold-water Humboldt penguin that lives in tropical Peru What it tells us about the past: Roman dodecahedrons have baffled archaeologists since 1739, when the first example of the 12-sided bronze object was discovered in the English Midlands. For nearly three centuries, experts and hobbyists have put forth dozens of theories as to why people treasured these items — but their purpose has never been confirmed. At least 120 examples of dodecahedrons have been discovered across the northwestern provinces of the Roman Empire. All date to the late second to late fourth centuries, and their general appearance is the same, according to classical archaeologist Michael Guggenberger, who has published several studies on the objects. In a 2000 study, Guggenberger wrote that the basic shape is a regular or pentagonal dodecahedron: 12 pentagons form the faces of the hollow shape, and they meet at 20 corners. Each corner of a Roman dodecahedron is topped with a small sphere, and each pentagonal face has a hole of varying diameter. The dodecahedrons range from 1.6 to 3.9 inches (4 to 10 centimeters) tall and weigh 1 to 20 ounces (30 to 580 grams), with exceptionally thin walls. No writing has been found on any dodecahedron. Because these dodecahedrons have been found in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland — but not in Italy — Guggenberger views them as "Gallo-Roman products" with a possible origin in the Celtic tribes of the Roman Empire. But there are no historical records or depictions of them in ancient art, so the origin and purpose of the dodecahedrons have been lost. Archaeologists have recovered dodecahedrons from the graves of men and women, in coin hoards and even in refuse heaps, so a blanket explanation for their use has not been found. But many researchers have attempted to solve the puzzle, suggesting that dodecahedrons may have been used as weapons, decorations, candlestick holders, range finders, measurement devices, children's toys, dice, craftsman's samples or spools for knitting gloves. Of the 50 or more theories, Guggenberger wrote, most can now be ruled out or considered highly improbable. The primary explanation he favors is symbolic, with a connection to the philosophy of ancient Greek thinkers Plato and Pythagoras. In Platonic-Pythagorean symbolism, four solid shapes were associated with four elements — tetrahedrons with fire, octahedrons with air, icosahedrons with water, and hexahedrons with earth. And, as the fifth regular solid, "the dodecahedron served as an all-encompassing symbol representing the universe," Guggenberger wrote in a 2013 study. In the second century A.D., thinkers like Plutarch resurrected the earlier idea of the dodecahedron as a symbolic connection to the heavens and the universe, Guggenberger wrote, and that may have influenced Celtic peoples in the Roman Empire. MORE ASTONISHING ARTIFACTS —Monomachos Crown: The 1,000-year-old crown honoring 'the one who fights alone' found by a farmer in a field —Assyrian swimmers: 2,900-year-old carving of soldiers using inflatable goat skins to cross a river —Tarkhan Dress: World's oldest known outfit was worn to an ancient Egyptian funeral 5,000 years ago But one particular grave with a dodecahedron may hold a key clue to its use, Guggenberger noted in the 2000 study. Discovered in a woman's grave in Germany in 1966, the Gellep dodecahedron was located directly next to a rod-shaped bone artifact, suggesting it may have been a staff for mounting the mysterious object to create a symbolic scepter. And given the Celtic background for the object, this may link it to Druidic traditions. "For the time being, the most likely interpretation of the dodecahedron is as a cosmic, all-encompassing symbol," Guggenberger wrote, with "a function comparable to an amulet."
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Thought They Found an Ancient Roman Home. They Only Scratched the Surface.
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: A Gallo-Roman residence first found in 1966 was recently re-examined, and archeologists found that earlier excavations had only partially uncovered what was hidden. The 43,000-square-foot residence in central France included radiant flooring and enclosed baths, and was built sometime between the first and fourth centuries A.D. The Gallo-Roman home was obviously for a wealthy family—possibly aristocrats. Archaeologists only scratched the surface—quite literally—in 1966 when they examined what is now known to be one of the grandest Roman-era villas ever discovered in central France. When crews began the process of creating a gravel pit on the bank of the Yonne River back in the 1960s, they uncovered a 10-room, 7,500-square-foot residence—and stopped digging. Now, new archaeological work shows that the impressive find from nearly 60 years ago wasn't the crown jewel of the site, but simply the 'secondary wing' of a striking 43,000-square-foot home complete with gardens, thermal baths, radiant heating, mosaics, and all the other things a wealthy aristocrat from the first through fourth century A.D. could ask for. According to an announcement from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research from the Sainte-Nitasse archaeological site, the four-acre property along the river shows off Gallo-Roman culture in Roman Gaul. 'We are not talking about a simple country residence,' the team wrote in a translated statement, 'but the core of a vast agricultural estate managed by a family belonging to the political or economic elite of the region.' The large villa in Roman Gaul is impressive not only for the transparent size of the structure, but for what it says about the development of residential buildings of the time. These sites often feature sophisticated architecture with materials such as marble, mosaics, and frescoes. Many also include pools, fountains, and gardens that create courtyards and private sanctuaries. This villa has all of that, and few villas have it all in the same scale. 'It is rare to find a pars urbana [residential area] so developed and excavated so extensively,' the team wrote. The building has a perimeter wall around it, expansive gardens on each side, a pool to the north, and a fountain to the south. The home features gallery rooms, reception spaces, work areas, a kitchen, traces of mosaics, and even thermal baths attached to the dwelling that fill the eastern wing. Initial findings suggest two stages of construction, although the team hasn't ruled out a third possible phase, which could coincide with the growth of the ancient of Auxerre (near which this villa was built). The city began as a secondary rural settlement at the beginning of the first century, and grew into a capital city by the fourth century. The researchers plan to analyze the recovered artifacts to hopefully reconstruct the daily life of the residents of the Gallo-Roman villa. 'While the size of the buildings outlines the very comfortable lifestyle of the occupants,' the team wrote, 'the remains of their daily lives still need to be studied to better characterize them.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
