It wasn’t all work, work, work in the Dark Ages. A stash of 78 chess pieces found on the Isle of Lewis in 1831 shows that early medieval Scots also enjoyed a little gaming. The intricately carved pieces are made of walrus ivory and sperm whale tooth, costly and rare materials obtained in Greenland by the Vikings (who occupied much of Scotland at the time).

The game must have been an expensive luxury for its owner – probably a local noble or wealthy merchant. The pieces are now split between the British Museum in London and the National Museum of Scotland.

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