Viking Games Pieces & Boards

Viking Games Pieces Finds

– Looking for the Evidence By Jennifer Baker ( Jenny Baker )

Research Disclaimer : Please note that This Research was done many years ago now :

so the information contained may now be out of date , photos gone missing or web links broken

My apologises : But It has become an impossible task to try and keep it up to date - Jenny

Games Boards

Location / Date, structure / No. / Inv no. / Ref

Norway, Gokstad Ship Burial

late 9th century

13 x13 squares

gaming board measuring 69 cm on one side including edges

two sided - one side Hnefatafl and the other side nine man's moris

Ballinderry, Ireland,

late 9th century

25x24 cm and has 7x7 peg holes.

Sweden, Uppland, Årby

Viking Period

? squares

looks to be nine man's morris

Grave 21062

Sweden, Birka

? squares

measured c 35–40 and 50 cm a side respectively.

Birka chamber grave 624

Sweden, Birka

? squares

measured c 35–40 and 50 cm a side respectively.

Birka chamber grave 886

Sweden, Valsgärde

? squares

Valsgärde 8 boat grave

Trondheim, Norway

early twelfth century

11x11 squares board

Hnefatafl Found in the Norwegian town of Trondheim, this 'Hnefatafl' board with 11 x 11 squares is displayed at the Medieval Museum at the University of Trondheim (NTNU)

Faroes Islands at Toftanes

dated to the tenth century)

a 13x13 squares board

Wimose, Fyn, Denmark

dated to the Roman Age AD400

18 x 18 squares board

Coppergate in York, England

10th century

15x15? squares or 19x19?squares Length 481mm, width 109mm, thickness 23mm

Find number 6609, 1976.7, catalogue number 9032.

Buckquoy, Orkney

Viking Period

3 Stone game boards

Postcard of Whalebone playing piece and part of a gaming board.

Brough of Birsay, Orkney

Viking Period

whalebone gaming board

000-000-136-630-C National Museums Scotland

Postcard of Gaming board and playing pieces.

Jarlshof, Shetland

Viking Period

slate gaming board and four quartz pebble playing pieces, part of a set of 16,

000-100-042-678-C National Museums Scotland

Novgorod, Russia

late 13th-14th century

two sided gaming board made of spruce.

Nine Man's Morriss board, on one side and the back of the board, another game board

Board Games Pieces

Location / Date, structure / No. / Inv no. / Ref

Inv no refers to museum fi nds ID number;

SHM = Statens Historiska Museum, Stockholm; NO = Norway; SE = Sweden

Norway, Vestfold, Tjølling parish, Østby

10th-century, no documentation

12 Amber

Oslo 11772

Petersen 1914, fig 18

Norway, southern part of Vestfold

No documentation

1 Amber

Oslo 23457

Norway, Hedmark, Furnes parish, Alu

Grave mound, no documentation

2 Amber

Oslo 24743 Dr Augestad’s collection

Norway, Østfold, Trøgstad parish, Grevegg

2 Amber

Oslo 35251

Norway, Sogn og Fjordane, Gloppen parish, Hauge

9th-century boat grave

1 Amber

Bergen 5150

Norway, Rogaland, Torvastad parish, Gunnarshaug

10th-century ship grave

18 Amber

Bergen 4438

Sweden, Uppland, Adelsö parish, Björkö, gr. 524

10th-century chamber grave

15 Amber

SHM Bj 524

Sweden, Småland, Ljungby parish, Harby nr 5, poor-house

No documentation

c 13 Amber

Kalmar County Museum 904:1-2

Sweden, Östergötland, Kuddby parish, Skamby, monument 15, 2005

9th-century boat grave

23 Amber The pieces' median dimensions are about 35 by 24 mm

Pending allocation

Sweden, Uppland, Adelsö parish, Birka, grave 523

VIKING-PERIOD

20 glass

SHM Bj 523

Sweden, Uppland, Adelsö parish, Birka, grave 581

VIKING-PERIOD

28 antler

SHM Bj 581

Sweden, Uppland, Adelsö parish, Birka, grave 644

VIKING-PERIOD

22 glass

SHM Bj 644

Sweden, Uppland, Adelsö parish, Birka, grave 750

VIKING-PERIOD

26 glass

SHM Bj 750

Sweden, Uppland, Adelsö parish, Birka, grave 886

VIKING-PERIOD

25 bone

SHM Bj 886

Sweden, Uppland, Adelsö parish, Birka, grave 986

VIKING-PERIOD

17 antler

SHM Bj 986

Sweden, Uppland, Långtora parish, Långtora

VIKING-PERIOD

26 ( 21 glass, 4 bone, 1 soapstone )

SHM 20348

Sweden, Uppland, Björkö, Adelsö parish ,

VIKING-PERIOD

6 Gaming pieces. Teeth (from moose).

SHM 5208:1712

Sweden, Uppland, Björkö, Adelsö parish ,

VIKING-PERIOD

Gaming pieces. Bone/antler. Grave find,

SHM 34000:Bj 20

Sweden. Uppland, Björkö, Adelsö parish , Grave 624

VIKING-PERIOD

27 Gaming pieces. Bone/antler, bronze, gilded. Grave find,

SHM 34000:Bj 624

Sweden, Uppland, Björkö, Adelsö, Grave 463

vendel period

4 gaming pieces bone / horn

SHM 420341 :BJ 463

Sweden, Uppland, Uppsala , grave 2194

vendel period

37 gaming pieces bone / horn and 3 dice

SHM 108 624: 2194

Sweden, Uppland, Vendel, grave 7250

vendel period

20 gaming pieces bone

SHM 106788: 7250

Sweden, Uppland, Adelsö

VIKING-PERIOD

3 gaming pieces bone / horn

SHM 106916: 16171

Brough of Birsay, Orkney

VIKING-PERIOD

antler playing piece

000-100-040-604-C National Museums Scotland

Scotland, Balnakeil, Durness, Sutherland

VIKING-PERIOD

fourteen bone playing pieces were found in a Viking boy's burial at Balnakeil

000-000-099-778-C National Museums Scotland

Jarlshof, Shetland

VIKING-PERIOD

small stone playing piece was found at the Viking settlement site of Jarlshof in Shetland

000-100-042-675-C National Museums Scotland

Ness Broch, Caithness and the Brough of Birsay, Orkney

VIKING-PERIOD

whalebone playing piece

000-100-037-967-C National Museums Scotland

Sweden, Valsgärde

Glass

Hedeby, Germany

VIKING-PERIOD

Bone

Hedeby, Germany

VIKING-PERIOD

Amber

Norway

Glass

Ile de Groix, France

Walrus Tusk

Westness, Rousay, Orkney

Set of 25 gaming pieces found in grave at Westness, Rousay, Orkney

England

Jet games piece

Dice

Location / Date, structure / No. / Inv no. / Ref

Inv no refers to museum fi nds ID number;

SHM = Statens Historiska Museum, Stockholm; NO = Norway; SE = Sweden

Sweden. Uppland, Björkö, Adelsö,

Dice. Bone/antler.

SHM 5208:1709

See also kulturarvsdata.se/shm/object/htm l/270230

Coppergate in York, England

10th century

http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/gallery/personal-items/

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