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Genevra Kornbluth.
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Last updated
November 3, 2023

Historical Archive: Game boards, game pieces, and other game equipment

Representations follow surviving examples.
For dice and knucklebones see Dice.

A list of undigitized Roman and Merovingian game pieces appears after the thumbnails below.
If you need an image not yet digitized, feel free to contact me and I will prioritize the requested object.


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game board, shell, limestone, lapis; Ur c.2550-2450 BCE, Penn B16742. For detail see Penn.
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faience game pieces from Tell Guirgor (Iraq), 14th-12th c. BCE, Louvre N 3413 or N III 313
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faience game pieces from Tell Guirgor (Iraq), 14th-12th c. BCE, Louvre N 3413 or N III 313
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limestone game board with bulls from Balawat (Imgur Enlil; Iraq), early 1st millennium BCE, Louvre AO 14049 bis
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Roman ivory disk game piece with sea beasts, reverse numbered XV and Iε, CdM Froehner 238
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Roman rabbit or hare crouching facing R, numbered I, ivory or bone game piece, CdM Froehner 97
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plano-convex game piece, glass, Roman period (formerly in Merovingian setting), Chelles
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plano-convex game piece, glass, Roman period (formerly in Merovingian setting), Chelles
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plano-convex game piece, glass, Roman period (formerly in Merovingian setting), Chelles
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tessera/game piece, prob. Roman ivory, Vat
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game pieces from Taplow, bone and copper alloy, 6th-7th c. Anglo-Saxon, BM 1883,1214.7
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game piece from Taplow, bone and copper alloy, 6th-7th c. Anglo-Saxon, BM 1883,1214.7
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amber game piece fr. Østby, Vestfold, 9th-11th c., OHM C11772
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Viking game materials, left: glass pieces and bone dice fr. Nes, Hamarøy, Nordland; right: amber pieces fr. Gunnarshaug, Karmøy, Rogaland; Bergen. Not available in high resolution.
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agate/chalcedony chess pieces, undated Byzantine or Islamic: Ambo of Henry II, Aachen cathedral. The ambo and cathedral have their own pages with more undated chess pieces.
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rock crystal chess knight, Abbasid or poss. Spanish, 10th-11th c., Schn F52
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game pieces fr. Gjermundbu Farm, bone? c.950-1000, OHM. For helmet from same grave see OHM.
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bone game piece with wading bird, western Europe 11th c., Hermitage
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ivory chess bishop in the form of elephant and rider, Afrasiab Uzbekistan, 11th-12th c., BM 1980,0730.1. For additional views see BM.
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ivory chess bishop in the form of elephant and rider, Afrasiab Uzbekistan, 11th-12th c., BM 1980,0730.1
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ivory chess bishop in the form of elephant and rider, Afrasiab Uzbekistan, 11th-12th c., BM 1980,0730.1
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game piece with sphinx, western Europe 12th c., Hermitage
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ivory game piece, Hercules and the Erymanthian boar?, Cologne c.1150, UMMA 1987/1.262
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ivory game piece, Hercules and the Erymanthian boar?, angled view of obverse, Cologne c.1150, UMMA 1987/1.262
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ivory game piece, Hercules and the Erymanthian boar?, view from left, Cologne c.1150, UMMA 1987/1.262
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chessboard 1300-30, reused in plenary of Otto the Mild, KGM W 32, which has its own page
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ivory chess piece, soldiers with spears (king on reverse), Spain or France 15th c. BM 1881,1114.1
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ivory chess piece, soldiers with spears (king on reverse), Spain or France 15th c. BM 1881,1114.1
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backgammon game: Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahid and Hajib Mas'ud ibn Ahmad: Bobrinsky bucket, bronze with silver and copper, Afghanistan, 1163, Hermitage IR-2268. This work has its own page.
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stick players (fighters): Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahid and Hajib Mas'ud ibn Ahmad: Bobrinsky bucket, bronze with silver and copper, Afghanistan, 1163, Hermitage IR-2268. This work has its own page.
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beaker with polo players, enamelled and gilded blown glass, Syria, mid 13th c., Louvre OA 6131. This work has its own page.
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ivory mirror case with chess game, Paris c.1300, V&A 803-1891. This work has its own page.
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chess game, ivory mirror case, Paris c.1300, V&A 803-1891. This work has its own page.
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polo player with stick: Muhammad ibn al-Zayn, Baptistère de Saint Louis, Egypt or Syria c.1330-40, Louvre LP16. This work has its own page.
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youth with polo stick: Muhammad ibn al-Zayn, Baptistère de Saint Louis, Egypt or Syria c.1330-40, Louvre LP16. This work has its own page.
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chess game: plenary of Otto the Mild, 1339 reusing chessboard 1300-30, KGM W 32, which has its own page
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American football: Conrad Atkinson, NEAnderthal, mixed media 1989, UMMA 2004/2.106. Art object copyright: artist/heirs.


Game pieces: disks, plaques, and chess pieces

crystal disk with XV and Iε, crystal, BM 1923/4-1/47
crystal disk with XI, crystal, BM 1923/4-1/157
crystal chess piece, Fatimid, Halberstadt Cathedral treasury
ivory disk w hand number, reverse numbered VII, CdM Froehner 318
rectangular gold and garnet plaques, game pieces? RGM D331h
unmarked plano-convex playing piece, dark green glass bound in Merovingian copper alloy mount, from Mülhofen “Auf’m Rötchen”, RLM 38,357
unmarked plano-convex playing piece, yellowish quartz, Kestner 1683
unmarked high tafl piece, ivory (Merovingian), bound in copper alloy, from Xanten St. Viktor grave 89, RLM Fundnr. X744-X1482

Game pieces with representational forms

almond, numbered XII, ivory or bone, Kestner 1616
almond, numbered XI or IX, ivory, Kestner 1617
boar running L, numbered X, ivory or bone, CdM Froehner 99
boar's head facing L, numbered XIIII, ivory or bone, CdM Froehner 116
chestnut, numbered IIII, ivory, Kestner 1614
chestnut, numbered VIIII, ivory or bone, Kestner 1615
cicada, numbered XII, ivory or bone, CdM Froehner 102
cicada, numbered VIIII, ivory or bone, Kestner 1604
cicada, numbered II, ivory, Kestner 1603
dog crouching facing L, numbered VII, ivory or bone, CdM Froehner 100
duck facing R, numbered I, ivory or bone, CdM Froehner 113
duck facing R, numbered XI, ivory, Kestner 1611
fish, numbered XII, ivory, Kestner 1600
fish, numbered II, ivory or bone, modern? Kestner 1601
hamster facing L, numbered VIIII, ivory, Kestner 1609
hare crouching facing L, numbered VIIII or XIIII, ivory, Kestner 1608
rabbit crouching facing R, numbered XIIII, ivory or bone, CdM Froehner 95
ram's head to L, numbered XI, ivory Kestner 1610
roast fowl, numbered XV, ivory or bone, CdM Froehner 104
scallop shell, numbered XIV, ivory, Kestner 1613
shell, numbered IX or XI, ivory or bone, CdM Froehner 131
snake and dolphin inscribed GALENO/DLXII, green stone, modern? Kestner 1677
sow facing L, numbered X, ivory, Kestner 1605