Found during a community-led archaeological dig on Lindisfarne.
Archaeologists believe the object, made from swirling blue and white glass with a small “crown” of white glass droplets, is a gaming piece [probably the "king"] from the Viking board game hnefatafl (“king’s table”), or a local version of the game.A 3-D zoomable, rotateable view of the object is posted at Sketchfab.
Whether dropped on the island by a Norse raider or owned by a high-status local imitating their customs, the gaming piece offers a rare tangible link between Lindisfarne’s Anglo-Saxon monastery and the culture that eventually overwhelmed it.
British or Viking, I'm sure the loss of a game piece was just as irksome then as it is now. Probably more so considering the lack of a replacement being readily available seeing as how the Amazons hadn't established their mercantile yet.
ReplyDeleteI can easily imagine a woman of the time being vexed because no one can seem to keep up with their belongings. "That's why we can't have nice things!"