Latest news with #NortonDisneyHistoryandArchaeologyGroup
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
Bizarre 12-sided object dating to Roman Empire baffles scientists: ‘A cosmic symbol'
There are many sides to this story. Scientists remain baffled over a mysterious 12-sided bronze object dating back to the Roman Empire — theorizing it could be anything from a candle holder to a 'cosmic symbol.' The first Roman dodecahedron was discovered in 1739 in the English Midlands. Since then,120 of the geometric enigmas have been unearthed from the former Northwestern Provinces of the Roman Empire, with scientists noting that all of the specimens date back to the late second and fourth centuries, Live Science reported. Classical archaeologist Michael Guggenberger, who has published several studies on the objects, described them in a 2000 study as a pentagonal dodecahedron, which is created when 12 pentagons form surfaces of the hollow object, intersecting at 20 different corners. Meanwhile, each pentagonal face has a hole of a varying size while each corner is studded with a ball, like an ancient model of a viral pathogen. The multifaceted anomalies range in size from a golf ball to the size of a grapefruit, as was the case with a dodecahedron that was exhumed in Norton Disney, Lincolnshire, during the summer of 2023, Smithsonian magazine reported. Richard Parker, secretary of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, told the outlet that the metal artifact was in 'excellent condition — considering it's been buried for 1,700 years — and complete with no damage.' Despite the treasure trove of evidence, scientists remain no closer to pinpointing the purpose of the mysterious object. 'Nobody knows for certain how the Romans used them,' wrote Smithsonian in 2023. Interestingly, the objects were discovered in countries ranging from Austria to France and Luxembourg –but not Italy — leading Guggenberger to postulate that they could be traced back to the Celtic tribes of the Roman Empire. The dodecahedrons have been found everywhere from men's and women's graves to trash piles, further complicating the search for an explanation as to their function. As the baubles aren't depicted in ancient art, there is no historical record of their origin or use. So far, researchers have floated 50 different theories regarding their purposes, suggesting that they could be weapons, range finders, candlestick holders or even dice. However, many researchers believe that the objects' ornate design and their relatively pristine condition demonstrate that they were no run-of-the-mill implement. 'A huge amount of time, energy and skill was taken to create our dodecahedron, so it was not used for mundane purposes,' wrote the Norton Disney group. 'They are not of a standard size, so will not be measuring devices. They don't show signs of wear, so they are not a tool.' Guggenberger believed that the dodecahedron occupied a more symbolic role related to the theories of Greek philosophers such as Plato and Pythagoras. In Platonic-Pythagorean symbolism, four solid shapes corresponded with four elements — tetrahedrons with fire, octahedrons with air, icosahedrons with water, and hexahedrons with earth — while 'the dodecahedron served as an all-encompassing symbol representing the universe,' Guggenberger said. A breakthrough possibility emerged in 1966, when scientists discovered a dodecahedron next to a rod-shaped bone artifact in a woman's grave in Germany. That suggested the dodecahedron could have adorned it like a staff or symbolic scepter for use in Druidic rituals. Guggenberger theorized that, for now, the most likely interpretation of the dodecahedron is 'as a cosmic, all-encompassing symbol' with 'a function comparable to an amulet.'
New York Post
14-07-2025
- Science
- New York Post
Bizarre 12-sided object dating to Roman Empire baffles scientists: ‘A cosmic symbol'
There are many sides to this story. Scientists remain baffled over a mysterious 12-sided bronze object dating back to the Roman Empire — theorizing it could be everything from a candle holder to a 'cosmic symbol.' The first Roman dodecahedron was discovered in 1739 in the English Midlands. Since then,120 of the geometric enigmas have been unearthed from the former Northwestern Provinces of the Roman Empire with scientists noting that all of the specimens date back to the late second and fourth centuries, Live Science reported. Classical archaeologist Michael Guggenberger, who has published several studies on the objects, described them in a 2000 study as a pentagonal dodecahedron, which is created when 12 pentagons form surfaces of the hollow object, intersecting at 20 different corners. 4 A dodecahedron is shown at the National Civil War Centre in Newark, UK. 'Nobody knows for certain how the Romans used them,' wrote Smithsonian magazine. Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group Meanwhile, each pentagonal face has a hole of a varying size while each corner is studded with a ball, like an ancient model of a viral pathogen. The multifaceted anomalies range in size from a golf ball to the size of a grapefruit, as was the case with a dodecahedron that was exhumed in Norton Disney, Lincolnshire, during the summer of 2023, Smithsonian magazine reported. Richard Parker, secretary of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, told the outlet that the metal artifact was in 'excellent condition — considering it's been buried for 1,700 years — and complete with no damage.' Despite the treasure trove of evidence, scientists remain no closer to pinpointing the purpose of the mysterious object. 'Nobody knows for certain how the Romans used them,' wrote Smithsonian in 2023. 4 Scientists remain baffled over a mysterious 12-sided bronze object dating back to the Roman Empire — theorizing it could be everything from a candle holder to a 'cosmic symbol.' Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group 4 A dodecahedron that was unearthed during a two-week dig by a volunteer group in the village of Norton Disney. Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group Interestingly, the objects were discovered in countries ranging from Austria to France and Luxembourg –but not Italy — leading Guggenberger to postulate that they could be traced back to the Celtic tribes of the Roman Empire. The dodecahedrons have been found everywhere from men's and women's graves to trash piles, further complicating the search for an explanation as to their function. As the baubles aren't depicted in ancient art, there is no historical record of their origin or use. So far, researchers have floated 50 different theories regarding their purposes, suggesting that they could be weapons, range finders, candlestick holders or even dice. 4 The Norton Disney dodecahedron has been on display at different institutions since 2024. Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group However, many researchers believe that the objects' ornate design and their relatively pristine condition demonstrate that they were no run-of-the-mill implement. 'A huge amount of time, energy and skill was taken to create our dodecahedron, so it was not used for mundane purposes,' wrote the Norton Disney group. 'They are not of a standard size, so will not be measuring devices. They don't show signs of wear, so they are not a tool.' Guggenberger believed that the dodecahedron occupied a more symbolic role related to the theories of Greek philosophers such as Plato and Pythagoras. In Platonic-Pythagorean symbolism, four solid shapes corresponded with four elements — tetrahedrons with fire, octahedrons with air, icosahedrons with water, and hexahedrons with earth — while 'the dodecahedron served as an all-encompassing symbol representing the universe,' Guggenberger said. A breakthrough possibility emerged in 1966, when scientists discovered a dodecahedron next to a rod-shaped bone artifact in a woman's grave in Germany. That suggested the dodecahedron could have adorned it like a staff or symbolic scepter for use in Druidic rituals. Guggenberger theorized that, for now, the most likely interpretation of the dodecahedron is 'as a cosmic, all-encompassing symbol' with 'a function comparable to an amulet.'
BBC News
02-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Roman dodecahedron replica removed from eBay after complaint
A replica of a Roman dodecahedron has been removed from an internet auction site after the man who discovered the original claimed it was "misleading".Richard Parker, from the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group which found the artefact near Lincoln in 2023, complained to eBay after he was "shocked" to spot a copy of the object for sale on their site using his seller, from America, said he meant "no discourtesy or disrespect" to the archaeology listing has since been taken down. In a statement, eBay said: "We have multiple protections in place to ensure intellectual property owners' rights are respected." The listing advertised a "museum grade replica" with a guide price of approximately $260 (£200) and included photographs belonging to the history group."The fact that no one had even sought permission to reuse our photographs is really galling," Mr Parker real dodecahedron, which has baffled experts as to its use, is one of only 33 dodecahedrons found in Britain, and the first to have been discovered in the can often be found on display in museums and Mr Parker said the history group had put a "lot of effort" in to ensure it was "in the public domain". Mr Parker said the group had not commercially benefited from the artefact and relied on donations to continue to operate."Somebody is riding off the back of our hard graft," he said."It is terrible."The accuracy of the replica was also criticised by Mr Parker."The guy that's done this has never seen the dodecahedron in person, he's never examined it," he said."They've made a best guess."Staff at Lincoln Museum, where the object had been displayed in 2024, said more than 15,000 people came to see it. 'Not illegal' The seller said he enjoyed making and hand-painting plastic replicas of archaeological finds in his spare time."I've had it displayed on my table for a few months. I thought someone else might enjoy it, so I listed it for about what it cost me to make," he said."No one bought it, but it's still pretty, and I'm proud of it."If the crew would be willing, I can send my replica to them. It would be exciting to have the actual team tell me what I got right and what I got wrong with my hand-painting."According to Dr Lacey Wallace, a senior lecturer in Roman history and material culture at The University of Lincoln, producing a replica of an object is not illegal, unless it is falsely claimed the replica is Wallace said the copy of the dodecahedron was not pretending to be real and believed the production of replicas can be beneficial for educational purposes."Museum professionals, lecturers and researches all really value replicas," she a statement, eBay added: "Intellectual property owners can report listings that may infringe their rights through our VeRO Programme."We will then investigate and take the appropriate action, which may include ending listings and suspending seller accounts."Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
