All of you who don't know what that dodecahedron was for, need to pick up a hammer and anvil, or piece of railroad.

It was a smithing test. Go show one to a smith, and ask if they could make it. If you could/can make that, you were/are a master redsmith, whitesmith, or blacksmith, possibly all three. If you can create that with nothing more than tongs, a hammer, an anvil, and a forge, well you know enough smithing to smith anything that is needed. The smiths were well known in ancient Rome, and up until the modern times, not to bother writing down anything they might consider a secret.