Dodecahedron in Sketchup

I've just started learning to use Google Sketchup. It's a much more user-friendly environment than 3D Studio Max, which I used to use years ago. It doesn't look as powerful though. I've modelled a dodecahedron so I can visualize what my final piece will be for the Hunt Museum. Here is a simple version:

Next step is to extrude the shapes, create the holes and apply an image map, if that's do-able...

The Roman Dodecahedron

I've been researching the item at the Hunt Museum. It seems to be a mystery as to what the function of this Roman artifact might have been. The dodecahedron (one of the five Platonic solids) symbolized the spirit, or ether, for the Ancient Greeks but there has yet to be a definitive explanation of this bronze, Roman object. Some suggestions have been: a candlestick holder, dice, a survey instrument, a device for calibrating water pipes, a base for army standards. There has also been presented the theory that it was used for determining the optimal sowing date for winter grain. G.M.C Wagemans presents, in detail, this theory (see article).
A map showing the sites where this mysterious artifact has been found:

Installation at the Hunt Museum

As part of the Contemporary Art in the Public Realm module we have been set a task by the Hunt Museum to build models of the artifacts on display with an electronic theme. The idea is to reconstruct the pieces using scrap electronics. Today we visited the museum to view the pieces on display. There were a few items that caught my attention. First a spiked neck brace and helmet:

Also, there was a spectacle brooch from the Iron Age and a bronze dodecahedron from Roman times (1 - 4 AD):

The dodecahedron, in particular, I am intrigued by as I have long had an interest in sacred geometry. I would really like to choose this piece for the project. Some pictures of the dodecahedron:

There were other items that I thought would be interesting to work on too, including a small chest, a wooden cross, a neck ring and a small comb:

Performance Art - BrainStroming (!)