30 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

1,600-year-old fragment Of Enigmatic Roman Artifact Discovered In Belgium

A metal detectorist in Belgium discovered a piece of a mysterious bronze artifact known as a Roman dodecahedron, which is thought to be over 1,600 years old.

Patrick Schuermans, a hobby archaeologist, was scanning the ground in Kortessem with a metal detector when he stumbled upon an unusual fragment, according to a news release from the Flanders Heritage Agency.

Dodecahedrons are hollow 12-sided geometric shapes with small knobs at their corners and holes of varying diameters on each pentagonal face. They have perplexed researchers for centuries, owing to the fact that the polygonal object does not appear in Roman writings or drawings.

Around 120 Roman dodecahedrons have been found since the 18th century, mostly in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The first Roman dodecahedron to be discovered in modern times was discovered in England.

The known complete specimens differ in detail in appearance, and they also vary in size and weight. Most are between 4.5 and 8.5 centimeters in size.

An example of a complete Roman dodecahedron. Photo from Flanders Heritage Agency
An example of a complete Roman dodecahedron. Photo from Flanders Heritage Agency

These items are sometimes referred to as Gallo-Roman dodecahedrons since most of the dodecahedrons were found in these areas in parts that coincided with the Celtic civilization.

However, archaeologists aren’t completely sure. But what is this quirky object for? Is it a weapon? A tool? Or something else entirely? Measuring instruments?

However, there is growing evidence that dodecahedrons were not practical objects such as measuring instruments. The known specimens are too dissimilar in size and detail for that.

According to Onroerend Erfgoed’s archaeologists, their significance should be sought in the magical-religious sphere. This may help to explain why grave finds frequently include dodecahedrons.

Schuermans donated the object to the Gallo-Roman Museum of Tongeren after reporting his discovery to the Flanders Heritage Agency.

The Flemish agency believes the whole dodecahedron could have been over two inches wide and was possibly broken during a ritual. But archaeologists are most enthusiastic about what the find means for research into Ancient Roman history. “Thanks to the correct working method of the metal detectorist, archaeologists know for the first time the exact location of a Roman dodecahedron in Flanders,” the agency wrote in a statement, adding that it plans to monitor the area where Schuermans uncovered the fragment in case of future discoveries.

Cover Photo: The fragment found in a field near the town of Kortessem in Flanders is clearly part of a Roman dodecahedron. Photo: Kris Vandevorst/Flanders Heritage Agency

Related Articles

Red lipstick dating back 3,600 years was discovered in Iran -the oldest ever found-

14 February 2024

14 February 2024

Archaeologists have discovered a small chlorite vial containing a deep red cosmetic preparation believed to be an ancient type of...

The Largest Circular Tomb of the Ancient World Is Opening

16 February 2021

16 February 2021

The restoration of Augustus’ colossal tomb, which is expected to be opened in 2014, has been completed. The Augustus mausoleum...

The New Study, Reveals Invisible Stews

25 November 2022

25 November 2022

New Results of Organic Residue Analyzes of Beveled Rim Bowls in Mesopotamia Reveal Invisible Stews. The world’s first urban state...

New suspect in greatest act of vandalism in the history of dinosaur study

29 May 2023

29 May 2023

Researchers from the University of Bristol are rewriting the history of paleontology’s darkest and most bizarre event. Vandals with sledgehammers...

Mystery of the ‘Deserted Castle’ Unraveled: Austria’s First Roman Bridgehead Fort Discovered

18 April 2025

18 April 2025

Researchers have identified the first confirmed Roman bridgehead fort in Austria, located near Stopfenreuth on the Lower Austrian Danube floodplains....

A new temple was discovered in the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon

17 August 2022

17 August 2022

Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reports that archaeologists have discovered a new temple at Perperikon. Perperikon, an archaeological complex located at...

Archeologists Discover Two Sphinxes measure 26 feet in length in Egyptian Ruins

21 January 2022

21 January 2022

Archeologists have discovered the remains of two huge sphinx statues, each measuring 26 feet in length, at the funerary temple...

Researchers found similar descriptions in the Book of Revelation and ancient curse tablets

10 February 2023

10 February 2023

A research project headed by Dr. Michael Hölscher of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), has uncovered that the book of...

For the first time, a Viking Age grave rich in artifacts has been found in Norway’s capital city, Oslo

23 December 2022

23 December 2022

A Viking Age grave rich in artifacts has been discovered for the first time in Norway’s capital city, Oslo. The...

Crowned figure holding a 13th-century falcon found in Oslo

17 December 2021

17 December 2021

Archaeologist Ann-Ingeborg Floa Grindhaug discovered a three-inch-long figure carved from bone or antler amid the ruins of a fortified royal...

The oldest grave in northern Germany 10,500 years old

14 October 2022

14 October 2022

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known human remains in northern Germany in a 10,500-year-old cremation grave in Lüchow, Schleswig-Holstein. The...

A woman in Norway found Viking-age 1000-year-old hoard in basement

20 April 2023

20 April 2023

A woman in Norway cleaned her parents’ home, she found 32 iron ingots dating to the Viking or early Middle...

Astonishing Find in the Czech Republic: Hikers Discover a 3.7 Kilogram Serbian/Bosnian Gold Treasure

29 April 2025

29 April 2025

A leisurely hike on the slopes of Zvičina Hill in the Czech Republic turned into an extraordinary discovery for two...

A 3800-year-old cylinder seal was discovered at Turkey’s Tepebag Mound excavations

8 July 2022

8 July 2022

In the 2022 excavations of Tepebag Mound, located around Taşköprü, the center of Adana province in Turkey’s Mediterranean Region, a...

The Largest Medieval Coins Treasure found in Recent Decades discovered in Germany

16 August 2024

16 August 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed one of the largest medieval coin hoards, consisting of approximately 1,600 coins, in recent years in the...