A mystery 12-sided alien-like object has been discovered by archaeologists which was used by the Romans for an unknown purpose.
The metal dodecahedron adorned with balls on each corner is one of the finest examples ever found in Britain and the only one to be unearthed in the Midlands.
Archaeologists still don’t know what the bizarre objects were used for by the Romans, but this latest discovery makes 33 of them found in Britain.
The enigma object was unearthed by a group of volunteers from the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group during a dig near the village of Norton Disney in Lincolnshire, around 35 miles southeast of Sheffield.
Richard Parker, the secretary of the group, told LiveScience: “We were completely surprised by it. We weren’t getting many metal [signals] at that point, but all of a sudden there it was.
“It was our second-to-last day of the excavation, and up pops this dodecahedron in Trench Four.”
Despite exhaustive research no record of the purpose of the dodecahedrons has been found in text or images. This latest find is believed to date from around the year 200 AD.
The website for the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group states: “A huge amount of time, energy and skill was taken to create our dodecahedron, so it was not used for mundane purposes.
“Roman society was full of superstition, something experienced on a daily basis, a potential link with local religious practice is our current working theory. More investigation is required though.”
The Roman occupation of much of Britain lasted from from AD 43 to AD 410, and began with the invasion by Emperor Julius Caesar.
During the hundreds of years Romans ruled Britain extensive road networks were built, much of the footprint of which still exists to this day. The Romans also founded many settlements building on existing native villages and towns forming the basis of many of modern Britain’s towns and cities.
In AD 301, Constantine I became the first to be proclaimed Roman Emperor in Britain at the fortress city of Eboracum, which would later become York.
