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Natasha Harlow, Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Nottingham

Five mysterious ancient artefacts that still puzzle archaeologists

Two dodecahedra and an icosahedron on display in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn, Germany. Kleon3/Wiki Commons, CC BY-SA

Archaeologists are often described as “stumped” or “baffled” by their discoveries. But, in reality, specialists have a good grasp of what most historical objects were created for. But there are a few exceptions to this rule.

The following list is a selection of intriguing mystery objects. They’re a great example of why digging up the past continues to hold great fascination for professionals and public alike.

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