Home » Okay, I confess I’m stumped

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Okay, I confess I’m stumped — 14 Comments

  1. Plutarch, the famous Greek historian reportedly identified the dodecahedron as a vital instrument for zodiac signs. The twelve sides represent the twelve animals in the circle of the Zodiac, but even this theory comes under contest when the argument of the knobs as decoration is presented.

    An early Roman version of the Magic 8-Ball?

  2. But its use remains a mystery, mostly because the Romans who usually kept meticulous accounts make no mention of it in records.

    That’s because it was so commonplace, mundane, and obvious to them that they saw no need to talk or write about it.

    So it would be interesting to consider objects that we use today without even thinking about, but which might stump future archaeologists. Suggestions?

  3. Several months ago I read a fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal about a hairdresser who researches and recreates ancient Greek and Roman hairstyles. She even had an article published in a scholarly journal.

    On Pins and Needles: Stylist Turns Ancient Hairdo Debate on Its Head

    Janet Stephens has a number of videos on YouTube. Here’s one: Vestal Hairdressing: recreating the “Seni Crines”

    Now I can’t help wondering whether these dodecahedrons might have had something to do with hairdressing. That would be a mundane, everyday task which wouldn’t merit mention in historical records. If they were mostly found in womens’ graves, that would be interesting.

    Probably not, though. She doesn’t seem to need them. Although I wonder whether the knobs might have somehow been a labor-saving device in creating the braids.

  4. I went to my Magic 8-Ball link above, and asked, “Do the dodecahedrons have anything to do with ancient hairstyles?”

    The answer was, “It is certain.”

    Well there you go. Case closed. You can thank me later.

  5. Well at least the news article didn’t claim since no one knows they must have been left behind by space aliens a la “Chariots of the Gods.”

    As for my guess, I’ll say that they were what the Roman Kestone cops used to stop out of control chariots driven by crazy people. Just throw a handfull under the horses hooves and they will come to a crashing halt.

  6. They look like little potpourri holders – that stuff that smells up the room, esp. at Xmas time. And 4-11cm is a portable size. Maybe they’re like the things used in the Renaissance to de-stink one’s nose in a smelly environment. But probably not.

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