There is no universal consensus among archaeologists about the Roman dodecahedron, though besides the common theory that it was used for ritual purposes there is the theory that it may have been a pen or stylus holder.

Roman pens were effectively long, sharp pieces of metal designed to “write” by carving into wax tablets. They often had different shapes for different forms too so a Roman scribe/accountant would have several different ones laying around.

They also would later use Reed Pens (Calamus), the most common tool for writing with ink. They were crafted from hollow marsh reeds (like Phragmites australis), with the tip cut and split to hold a small reservoir of ink.