Gaming Piece
The game this piece was used for is uncertain, but it is most likely part of some sort of board game, possibly chess or something like it, such as the Viking game Hnefatafl. Despite not knowing what this piece went to it does provide a tremendous amount of insight into the culture of common day Viking people. Since it shows that they had time for leisure actives, unlike many members of agrarian societies in Europe at the time, who had to spend almost all available free time in the fields.[1] It is noted that the Vikings had several forums of entertainment in the form of games such as dice, chess, and backgammon this shows that there was quite a bit of down time and gaming within the society. Most of this type of gaming probably took place in the winter because the army was stationary for such a long period of time, this also explains why so many gaming pieces have been found in England. As opposed to the upper class members of society or Viking raiders, both of which would have had much more free time than farmers
The story behind this piece can be seen from the location the piece was found and when it was made. Since it is dated to around the 9th century it is most likely from the Vikings, which began invading and inhabiting England during that time frame. This idea is further supported by the fact that it was discovered in Cambridgeshire, which is in the middle of the eventual viking territory in England, known as Danelaw, which was created after a great Viking campaign into England made peace with King Alfred of Wessex.[2] So, the piece was probably brought by an original member of the army, which conquered this territory, or perhaps was made after they began settling the area.
It is easy to imagine a scene where Vikings, tired after a long day of marching or wintering at a English hold would gather around the fire playing games like chess to pass the time. While the finer details of this piece are not known, it does at least tell that games like chess and other leisure actives were present within Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon cultures. Regardless of its origin this piece does much in disproving the myths that Vikings were nothing more than mere savage warriors but were in truth a civilized people.
