Stuff below the fold

History mystery: What are the Roman dodecahedrons, and why are there so many of them?

Roman dodecahedra are believed to date from the second and third century AD, and range from 4 to 11cm in size.
(Image Wikipedia)

John Ladd has a theory, and explains it here in fluent Engineereze and exquisite detail...

KTUU translated what he said here:

Placing the dodecahedrons in bowls then adding specific amounts of water would yield exact measurements of water displaced by the objects, allowing small parts to be tested for consistent shaping before use.

While Ladd says displacement measurements would have applications in civilian fields, the most common Roman use would have been military: quality-testing arrowheads and artillery projectiles before use to ensure accuracy.

headsup RogueClassicism, who is a bit skeptical about their claim.

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Archeoblog had a similar question about this large holey pot:


The Montreal Gazette suggests it was a "gliraria", used to store live dormice until it was time to eat them.


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Mary Beard explains why combining academics and babies is a challenge:

I have tried writing articles with two kids under 3. It isnt about just the official maternity leave. What you need to write good articles and books in my subjects is uninterruptted thinking time. So what blights your productivity for a good while are the trips backward and forwards to feed the baby, the fact that you can't go to all those seminars you used to go to (people forget about you and what you might be doing), and you certainly cant go to conferences (unless you fancy sitting in the bog and expressing the milk for what seems like hours on end, while everyone else is networking).

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The latest cure all: Virgin coconut oil cures Alzheimer's disease.

Actually we cook with it all the times, since it is cheap and gives a nice flavor to food. But I always worry because in the US we are told it is a saturated fat that will raise cholesterol.

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The UKGuardian reviews Madonna's new film:

Whatever the crimes committed by Wallis Simpson – marrying a king, sparking a constitutional crisis, fraternising with Nazis – it's doubtful that she deserves the treatment meted out to her in W.E., Madonna's jaw-dropping take on "the 20th-century's greatest royal love story".

you mean you didn't like it?

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NatGeo has an article on collecting and identifying new species in Asian food markets.

It's unlikely anyone's ever complained, "Waiter, there's a new species in my soup." But the situation isn't as rare as you might think.

A monkey, a lizard, and an "extinct" bird have all been discovered en route to the dinner plate, and now a new shark species joins their ranks, scientists report.

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Dr. William Wolff, who with a collegue invented the colonoscope, has died.

Many people are now alive thanks to their invention.