Roman dodecahedron

[5] They are in the shape of regular dodecahedra, with the addition of a small metal ball at each vertex; each face has a circular hole in the centre.

Since then, at least 130 similar objects have been found in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, but not in the Roman heartland in Italy.

[21][22] It has also been suggested that they might have been an object to test the skill of a metalsmith, perhaps as part of a portfolio to demonstrate their capabilities to customers or as a way to qualify for a certain status in a collegium (guild).

[23] In 2009, metal-detectorists in France reported the discovery of an object at Saint-Trivier-de-Courtes, similar to the Roman dodecahedra but spherical with triangular and pentagonal holes.

[25] Smaller dodecahedra with the same features (holes and knobs) and made from gold have been found in South-East Asia along the Maritime Silk Road and the earliest items appear to be from the Roman epoch.

Examples include those uncovered in Óc Eo, Vietnam, by Louis Malleret, who concluded that the objects represented the influence of Mediterranean trade on the Funan economy.