THE LEWIS CHESSMEN A ferocius berserker (rook), a stern king and a contemplative queen. Photo/Wikimedia, published under a Creative Commons license.
Posted on 09/30/2015 1:06:00 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Carbon dating of walrus bones found in Snæfellsnes peninsula indicates that the bones are at least 2000 years old. A large number of walrus skulls and walrus tusks have been found around Garðafjara beach on the south coast Snæfellsnes. The first skull was discovered 1884. All in all the bones of 50 walruses have been found, most in the past 50 years. Biologists argue this indicates Snæfellsnes was the home of a sizable walrus colony prior to the settlement of Iceland.
Large pre-settlement colonies of walruses in Iceland A previous theory, explaining the concentration of bone discoveries, speculated they came from the wreck of a ship which had been carrying walrus bones to Europe. However, the existence of a large walrus colony in Iceland would have meant the accumulation of walrus skeletons and skulls which would have been discovered by the Viking age settlers of Iceland.
Hilmar J. Malmquist, the chief of the Icelandic Natural History Museum points out in an interview with the local newspaper Fréttablaðið that such graveyards of walrus bones could also explain references to walruses in Icelandic place names, shedding light on the possible use of walrus ivory by the early settlers of Iceland who could have had access to domestic ivory found in such bone yards.
(Excerpt) Read more at icelandmag.visir.is ...
THE LEWIS CHESSMEN A ferocius berserker (rook), a stern king and a contemplative queen. Photo/Wikimedia, published under a Creative Commons license.
Wow, what a very cool looking set.
Want to play?
e2-e4
1000 years old, material 1000 years old when they were carved, love to have the set, but I don’t play it.
Seems the Vikings or the Eskimos wiped them out of late. Or climate changed (don’t you hate that term?). They are nearby in Greenland and other places at that latitude and even lower latitudes. I would like some prehistoric walrus or mammoth ivory to fasten grips for my Vaqueros or my SAA or my WW2 1911. Nothing like ivory. Just ask George S Patton
Saw the Lewis Chessmen at The British Museum, finally.
SunkenCiv - I'm shocked, thought for sure you would have been a chess-guy.
I used to be, but list interest by the end of my teens.
Weird Chess Set Idea:
The British Museum is one of my bucket list stops.
Inexpensive reproduction sets are available. Check Amazon. Put it on your Christmas list. I prefer to play with traditional pieces.
Do I detect a mustache and beard on the “contemplative queen”? Could be just the angle...
Me too.
My favorite set is traditional wooden pieces in a fold-out wooden box - have had it since I was 12 (45 years ago).
Have a few cheap plastic sets, and a nice carved set I got in Israel (but afraid to take it out and use it).
“Biologists argue....”
I feel a far side comic coming on:)
Beautiful pieces. It’s hard to believe they were just buried in a beach all those years.
Probably by some sore loser.
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