Viking gaming piece suggests monastic life had a fun side
AN INTRICATE glass Viking board game token suggests life in the British early Christian monasteries was not as bleak as first thought, archaeologists have said.
Excavations on the island of Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland, have unearthed a tiny gaming piece made from swirling blue and white glass, topped with small white beads.
It is believed to be from the Viking board game hnefatafl – or King’s table – a forerunner to chess, in which players try to capture the opposing king.
Although the token could have been dropped by a marauding Norse raider, archaeologists think it also may have been owned by a high-status islander.
Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, was the scene of the first major Viking raid on
Britain, but it was also a stronghold of important monks and wealthy pilgrims. The gaming piece was found in a trench dated to the 8th and 9th century, around the time of the Viking invasion, but it could also show the influence of Norse culture, long before the raid, archaeologists believe.
Experts said although it was traditionally thought that monks lived a drab, austere life, the piece showed that someone had an expensive lifestyle and free time to play the game.
The monastery of Lindisfarne was founded around 634 by Irish monk Saint Aidan, acting under the orders of King Oswald. But it was after the death of the bishop Cuthbert that the community began to grow in prosperity. Cuthbert died in 687, but when his tomb was opened 11 years later they found his body had not decayed, and he was named a saint.