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A dodecahedron dating from the Roman era has been discovered in a field in Kortessem (Limburg) by an amateur archaeologist
The object is extremely rare and has now been donated to the Gallo Roman Museum of Tongeren where it will be on view to the public
A dodecahedron is a geometric figure that possesses twelve pentagonal sides that have little spheres at each corner
 It is made of bronze and is hollow inside
 “It’s never been really clear what they were used for” explains Patrick Schuermans
the amateur archaeologist who made the find
 “Experts believe it may have been used as a measuring instrument or was used to look at the stars to allow farmers to know when to sow their seeds or harvest
Schuermans is only the third person in Belgium and the second in Flanders to find a piece of a dodecahedron
 “When I encountered the item in a field in Kortessem (Limburg) I had some idea of what it was
I’d already seen the object in books and at the museum
 The Heritage agency has now confirmed that it is a piece of a dodecahedron”
Schuermans has donated his find to the Gallo Roman Museum in Tongeren: “The archaeological value is far greater than any financial value
but I believe it’s important it doesn’t disappear in a draw and can be exhibited”
a mysterious twelve-sided object from the Roman era found in a Limburg field
Second mysterious dodecahedron found in Flanders
the head curator at the Gallo Roman Museum in Tongeren (Limburg) that will exhibit the artefact
believes an explanation needs to be sought in the occult: “The Romans attached great importance to magical practices” says Creemers
“but they were often practised in hiding because officially they were illegal”
who found the object in a field in Kortessem (Limburg) easily identified it as a dodecahedron
 In all around 120 have been found explains Creemers: “In the Netherlands
 The one found in Limburg is made of bronze and is hollow inside
 Each side has an opening of a different size
 So far four dodecahedrons have been found in Belgium
though one hasn’t been documented: in Tongeren (Limburg)
in Rumst (Antwerp - undocumented) and now in Kortessem
The areas in which dodecahedrons were found correspond to areas once inhabited by Celtic tribes
“We believe it’s there that the explanation needs to be found” says Creemers
 These activities were in conflict with the official religion and banned as a result
“We believe the dodecahedron belongs to the occult underground
but nobody really knows what it was used for
houses and baths making interpretation complicated
This latter element illustrates the dodecahedron wasn’t an everyday object because the Romans didn’t shy away from writing all about their lives
Creemers notes many possible explanations for the dodecahedron have been put forward: “It’s a candlestick holder
a primitive instrument of land measurement...”
Others have suggested it’s an aid to knit gloves
an instrument to help in the navigation of ships
part of a sceptre or a die to predict the future
 Some dodecahedrons show the signs of the zodiac
Creemers doesn’t set much store by such explanations
 He’s not holding his breath to hear the real explanation either: “The minute we really know what it was used for