viking board game hnefatafl rules programs for first time

But it seems that they have access to lead in Torksey, where the Viking chess pieces were found, so it was easier to make them. READ: Viking Stock: Norse Horse Can Withstand Iceland's Elements All Year-RoundĪccording to Mills, Scandinavian players of Hnefatafl would use polished stones instead of lead as it deteriorates in the extreme cold, and they do not have access to it. That means, whoever wins the bid for this Viking chess will be playing the same pieces that Vikings used over 1,150 years ago. Mills remarked that it is impressive to have all 37 pieces found at the same time because usually, they are found only after returning several times at the site for over a long period of time.ĭNW commissioned a board to be handmade made from timber since its original board was not found, and it will be included in the auction. He added that the pieces seem like a time capsule from when Vikings would use to play this game a thousand years ago.Įxperts at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge have also verified the said pieces that were authentic pieces of the Viking chess. The research on these findings were published in 2016 in the Antiquaries Journal.Ī closer inspection of the lead weights and a comparison between the same Viking game pieces in the Oslo Museum confirmed that they were indeed pieces from such board game, Mills said. According to the experts in DNW, Bott came to them, bringing a plastic bag full of Viking relics unsure of their value.Īside from the Viking chess pieces, Bott also found some coins, strap ends, mounts, brooches, and lead dates, which can be traced back in the 9th century. Metal detectorist Bott had been collecting items for two decades at the field where he found the Viking chess pieces. It will be auctioned at the London-based Dix Noonan Webb (DNW) on Tuesday, September 15, and is expected to sell for $1,299 (£1,000).

The Viking chess pieces were part of a board game called Hnefatafl, a strategic board game similar to chess and were popular among soldiers in-charge of teaching battlefield strategy. He made the find in a field in Torksey, Lincolnshire, where Vikings were said to have formed a winter camp in AD 872.Īccording to history, the camp served as their defensive and strategic position during the winter as they prepared to invade England. Retired miner Mick Bott, a 73-year-old metal detectorist, found a rare complete set of Viking gaming pieces, which will be up for sale next week.

Viking board game hnefatafl rules programs for first time