7th Century Anglo-Saxon Game Piece Discovered

An rare Anglo-Saxon game piece from the 7th century has been unearthed by University of Reading archaeologists. The piece is made from a cylinder of bone and has lathe-turned end-caps secured with a bronze rivet.

Other game components from this period have been found before, but none since the late 1800s. Also, this is the first time that a game piece was found where the games were played—in this case, a royal hall—whereas before, they were always found in burial sites.

The team that discovered the piece was unable to determine the exact nature of the game in which it was used. However, it is known that the Anglo-Saxons played games similar to Backgammon and Draughts.