A new paper suggests the 12th and 13th century ivory sculptures may have been used to play an ancient Scandinavian game.
Some of the Lewis Chessmen may not have been chessmen at all according to new research.
The 12th and 13th century gaming pieces which were discovered in Uig on the Isle of Lewis in 1831 are considered to be Scotland’s most renowned archaeological find.
The paper by David Caldwell, Mark Hall and Caroline Wilkinson suggests a number of the 93 ivory pieces may have been used in a game called hnefatafl – an ancient Viking board game that pre-dates chess.
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