ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Excavated dodecahedron

Okay kiddo, have you ever seen those cool shapes that have 12 sides, like a ball that was flattened on a few sides to make it look like a stop sign? Those shapes are called dodecahedrons!

Now sometimes, people find these shapes while digging up the ground. When that happens, they call them excavated dodecahedrons. It's like finding a toy buried in the yard, but instead of a toy, it's a really neat shape that people made a long time ago.

Scientists and historians have been trying to figure out why people made these shapes and what they were used for. Some people think they were made for religious reasons, and others think they were used in games or as measuring tools.

So, that's what an excavated dodecahedron is! It's a cool shape that people found buried in the earth, and it's a bit of a mystery as to why they were made.