Lewis Chessmen Research Paper

The Lewis chessmen are 78 ornately carved ancient chess pieces. Made from walrus ivory, carved with extreme skill, the 78 pieces consisted of eight Kings, eight Queens, sixteen bishops, fifteen knights, nineteen pawns and twelve rooks. The rooks in particular show almost a comedic side of the chess pieces, with solders called berserkers with wide expressive eyes biting at their shields. The variation found between the pieces show that these chess pieces likely originated from about 5 different sets. Some of the pieces also show signs of having being colored red to differentiate them in the game from the standard ivory color pieces. The pawns shaped into geometric shapes dull in comparison to the intricately carved human figures with bulging eyes and expressive faces that make these chess pieces so unique. The kings sit stoically on …show more content…
The stylistic similarities between pieces found in the Lewis Chessmen and a piece excavated from the Bishops Palace in Trondheim creates a direct link to the town. But even with evidence linking the chess pieces to Trondheim, many still argue the pieces true origin today. Archeologists can’t definitively say exactly when and where the Chessmen were carved, but the style mirrored other artifacts that have been dated to between A.D. 1150 and 1200. Around the end of the Viking Age and when Norway still ruled the Outer Hebrides is the definitive time period that they were most likely carved because of the Nordic influence. Further evidence that these pieces were from the 12th century are the tall miters, a head-dress worn by the bishops as a symbol of office. Bishops today have their points in the front and back, which did not begin until around 1150. Before the change bishops wore the miter with the points on the sides, which gave them the appearance of having horns sprouting from their