The Lewis Chessmen

Download or read book The Lewis Chessmen written by James Robinson and published by British Museum Publications Limited. This book was released on 2004 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Lewis chessmen were found hidden on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, in the early nineteenth century. Probably made in Norway around AD 1150-1200, they consist of elaborately worked walrus ivory in the forms of seated kings and queens, mitred bishops, knights on their mounts, standing warders and pawns. This book takes a look at the many theories surrounding the ownership of the pieces, why they were hidden and how exactly they were discovered, and places them in the wider context of the ancient game of chess and secular culture of the Middle Ages.