The Mysterious Bronze Objects That Have Baffled Archaeologists for Centuries

Seems obvious that this knobs are useless ornamentation except for temporarily ataching some kid of string (permanent attached strings would grant a handle instead). And the objects are not worned out, so probably for use indoors in light works not related with fire or painting.

My first though was that the holes could be used for measuring spaguetti, or weat beams for taxes or agriculture, or a rule for architecture, but some facts points to a domestic and femenine activity.

1) is not even mentioned in old documents when roman empire was obsessed with documenting everything related with war and bureaucracy

2) occurs widespread

3) does not need numbers engrabbed (but the numbers could be the number of concentric rings also).

4) Is intended to measure a discrete interval. Not more not less. Is always a small object. If it was for measuring groups of things the interval is continuous and has not upper limit.

In that case one could expect finding versions of the object in middle and big sizes also for measuring bigger groups of objects. Roman balances were yet available for that. If they were measuring something, this something can't growth indefinitely and can't be too small either.

Thus a finger glove maker seems like a perfect and most logical explanation.

Hmmm... I wonder if they were like audition pieces for army blacksmiths or maybe from a school of them, e.g. "Okay, you're good enough if you can make one of these things."

Might explain why there are a lot of them, and all so seemingly different...

The look like a fancy version of a gauging tool [1]. Each hole could have been used to measure the diameter of a different sized rod, sphere, or coin..

[1] https://www.eastwood.com/sheet-metal-gauge.html

I immediately thought knitting/crochet - and that was then shown in the embedded video later.

(I have vague recollections of using a cardboard ring to make a pom-pom out of wool when I was an infant).