Ytre Fosse, gravrøys from Fornminne Vern on Vime
Posted on 06/13/2020 7:26:54 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Rare elongated dice and board game pieces from the Roman Iron Age have been discovered in western Norway.
Last month, Norwegian archaeologists chose to excavate the remains of a small Early Iron Age grave cairn in western Norway. Dotted with monuments and grave mounds, the scenic location overlooking Alversund played an important role in Norwegian history.
The site at Ytre Fosse turned out to be a cremation patch. Amidst the fragments of pottery and burnt glass, archaeologists found a surprise: rare Roman Iron Age dice and board game pieces...
Archaeologists also found the remains of what was likely a powerful person. The nearby Alverstraumen straight was an important point on the sea route between the north and south of Norway. This was named Nordvegen, the northern way, from which Norway takes its name.
The bone debris, carefully decorated pottery and burnt glass indicate the person cremated here was likely of high status. But it's the gaming pieces that highlight this more than anything else.
"These are status objects that testify to contact with the Roman Empire, where they liked to enjoy themselves with board games. People who played games like this were local aristocracy or upper class. The game showed that you had the time, profits and ability to think strategically," said Ramstad.
The pieces are of a very rare type, known to be from the Roman Iron Age, dated to around AD 300. The haul included 13 whole and five broken game chips along with an almost completely intact elongated dice.
(Excerpt) Read more at lifeinnorway.net ...
When they find the Steam connection, we’ll know they were really advanced...
Here are the other GGG topics introduced since the previous Digest ping:
Isn’t AD 300 a bit late to be called the Roman Iron Age?
Probably Monopoly, those games seem to go on forever.
It was still Roman Empire time, and still Iron Age...
“You sank my Trireme!”
p
I’m thinking the Romans would have favored Risk.
Game of Roman Life. Choose a career as a Gladiator. Get eaten by a lion first time out. No chariot. No family. No villa in the hills to retire to. Short game.
There you are, Saturday night, sitting in the village hall, half-drunk, playing “Sticks and Stones” with your Viking neighbors, eating jellied fish that the dogs relieved themselves on, when suddenly, you get the urge to sail down to England and burn some monasteries.
Good times.....good times.....
I guess it was still Iron Age in Northern Europe, although Southern Europe, and the Near East/India/China had moved past the Iron Age by then.
Western Norway? Great marketing. No Ebay or Amazon then. They certainly earned their Aureuses there.
rwood
Soldier’s Chant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6EIv9GULJU
Beat me to it!
We Time Team mavens know that pre-Roman British archaeology ends with Iron Age. Bronzemaking wasn't discovered at the same time in all places, and the dating varies wildly. I'm not particularly a fan of the traditional division using stone, copper, bronze, and iron. :^)
The rest of the "Roman Baltic" keyword, chrono:
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