Mysterious dodecahedron

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

Could they have been hung in a woven bag? Chum bucket comes to mind.

If these are cast in one piece, that's quite a feat in itself. Maybe it was a piece made by an apprentice bronze worker to prove he had the skill to make the most complicated object without flaws. It's a common practice with would-be professional potters and woodworkers.

Unprobable. There are up of 93 of these at all the roman empire. So it isn't a casual find, like the roman fork.