A team of archaeologists in Germany has unearthed a medieval games collection, featuring a well-preserved chess piece, gaming pieces, and dice. Dating back to the 11th or 12th century, these game pieces were discovered during excavations of a long-forgotten castle.
“The discovery of a complete games collection from the 11th/12th century was entirely unexpected, and the horse-shaped knight piece is particularly remarkable,” said Dr. Lukas Werther from the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). These finds were uncovered during excavations of a previously unknown castle in southern Germany.
The eyes and mane of the 4 cm high horse figure are moulded. This elaborate design is typical of particularly high-quality chess pieces from this period. Laboratory results reveal that users would have lifted up the knight in a similar way to how today’s chess players do during a move, pointing to an astonishing continuity in the rules of the game.
In addition to the chess piece, four flower-shaped game pieces were found, as well as a dice with six eyes. They were carved from antlers. Moreover, red paint residues were found on the flower-shaped pieces.
