Mysterious Roman Dodecahedron to Go on Display in Lincoln

The Norton Disney dodecahedron. Only 33 of these mysterious objects have been found in the UK. Photograph: Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group
The Norton Disney dodecahedron. Only 33 of these mysterious objects have been found in the UK. Photograph: Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group
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Mysterious Roman Dodecahedron to Go on Display in Lincoln

The Norton Disney dodecahedron. Only 33 of these mysterious objects have been found in the UK. Photograph: Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group
The Norton Disney dodecahedron. Only 33 of these mysterious objects have been found in the UK. Photograph: Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group

They are known as one of archaeology’s great enigmas – hollow 12-sided objects from the Roman era with no known purpose or use.

Only 33 of these mysterious dodecahedrons have ever been found in Britain and now one, unearthed during an amateur archaeology dig after 1,700 years underground, is going on public display in Lincoln as part of a history festival.

Found in Norton Disney, near Lincoln, in the summer of 2023, the artefact is one of the largest of its kind ever found, measuring 8cm tall and weighing 254g.

Its excavation was particularly important as it was found where it was placed 1,700 years ago, meaning the site could hold clues as to its purpose. Only three other examples of dodecahedra have been found on archaeological excavations.

Richard Parker, the secretary of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, which found the item, said historians were no closer to finding out what these objects were despite extensive research.

“The imagination races when thinking about what the Romans may have used it for. Magic, rituals or religion – we perhaps may never know,” he told the BBC.

There are no known descriptions or drawings of dodecahedra in Roman literature, making their purpose unclear.

The Norton Disney group said the objects were not of a standard size so were not measuring devices, and they did not show signs of wear so they were not used as tools.

It added that “a huge amount of time, energy and skill was taken to create our dodecahedron, so it was not used for mundane purposes”.

The Norton Disney dodecahedron, made of a copper alloy, is the only example found in the Midlands. It is in excellent condition, with no damage, and finished to a high standard.

Parker said it was found on the top of a hill in a former large pit of some kind and seemed to be deliberately placed there.

The amateur archaeologists who uncovered the object plan to return to the site this summer to try to uncover more clues as to why it was there.

The group was able to only partly excavate the trench where it was found in 2023, along with some fourth-century Roman pottery, owing to time and financial constraints, with the dodecahedron found on the penultimate day of the dig.

They have secured permission to return in 2024 and resume excavation, relying entirely on donations to fund their work.

The Norton Disney dodecahedron has been on display in the National Civil War Centre at Newark Museum in Nottinghamshire, and from Saturday it will be at Lincoln Museum as part of the city’s Festival of History.



Cheeseburgers and Chicken So Far Fail to Entice a Rescue Dog Who’s Spent Weeks on the Run in Alaska 

This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
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Cheeseburgers and Chicken So Far Fail to Entice a Rescue Dog Who’s Spent Weeks on the Run in Alaska 

This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)

In the days after wildfires devastated the Los Angeles area, a formerly stray dog named Jackie lucked into a new life. She was rescued from an overburdened shelter in Los Angeles County, where she faced possible euthanasia, and given a home far away in Juneau, Alaska.

But Jackie didn’t stay long.

The German shepherd-husky mix slipped her collar on the first day with her new family in mid-February and absconded to a pocket of forest. Since then, she has been living by her wits — eluding a trap that was set with food such as cheeseburgers or chicken by animal control workers and volunteers worried about her.

The forested area Jackie frequents is near a busy road. Further, black bears are starting to reemerge from hibernation, raising the potential the dog could have an unfortunate run-in. Volunteers have stopped putting out food and cat kibble to avoid attracting bears.

“Maybe this is what she wants, is to be free and feral like this,” said Thom Young-Bayer, a Juneau animal control officer. “It's not a safe way for her to live here.”

Young-Bayer and his wife, Skylar, have been searching in their free time, often at night, for the skittish canine, painstakingly trying to build trust with her. Jackie has been known to burrow into the soft moss on the forest floor for cover and to avoid looking directly into the Young-Bayers’ headlamps, making it hard to detect her eyes in the dark.

On videos Thom Young-Bayer has taken with his infrared camera, Jackie’s red heat signature resembles something out of the movie “Predator.”

On a recent day, Young-Bayer caught a fleeting glimpse of Jackie in the lush forest, her dark coat helping camouflage her movements among the stumps and roots. He surveyed the undergrowth and surroundings but came up empty — as did a nearby trap he had been monitoring for weeks.

When Young-Bayer returned to a trail where a fellow animal control officer had been waiting, he learned Jackie had trotted past on a frozen pond.

Lately Young-Bayer has been encountering Jackie on every visit. Young-Bayer says that's progress. Weeks ago, if Jackie saw someone, she would flee. He and his wife aren't trying to sneak up on the dog and want to help her feel safe, he said.

Juneau Animal Rescue, a local pet adoption agency that also handles animal control and protective services, has asked that people who see Jackie report their sightings. Given the dog's skittishness, officials want to limit those searching for her.

Little is known about Jackie's history. She was brought into a California shelter as a stray in early January, days before deadly wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area. She is believed to be 2 to 3 years old. Her intake forms listed her as quiet with a moderate anxiety and stress level.

Skylar Young-Bayer, who has volunteered with rescue groups in that region, helped arrange for Jackie and two other dogs at risk of being euthanized to be transferred to Juneau for adoption. Jackie was with a foster home before her adoption placing.

Other dogs have gained fame as fugitives, including Scrim, a 17-pound, mostly terrier mutt who was recaptured in New Orleans in February — in a cat trap — after months on the lam.

Mike Mazouch, animal control and protection director for Juneau Animal Rescue, noted Jackie didn't have much time to bond with her new family before bolting. Officers deemed trying to tranquilize her as too risky because they didn't know if they would be able to find her once she was sedated.

Mazouch accompanied Thom Young-Bayer to the forest last week to disassemble the trap when Jackie came within 50 feet (15 meters) of Mazouch on the frozen pond. Mazouch snapped a photo of her as she appeared between the skinny, tall trees. He called efforts to capture her a “battle of wills.”

“She is not willing to give up, and we're not willing to give up, either,” Mazouch said.