Ivory Vikings (Hardcover)

In the early 1800's, on a Hebridean beach in Scotland, the sea exposed an ancient treasure cache: 93 chessmen carved from walrus ivory. Norse netsuke, each face individual, each full of quirks, the Lewis Chessmen are probably the most famous chess pieces in the world. Harry played Wizard's Chess with them in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Housed at the British Museum, they are among its most visited and beloved objects. Questions abounded: Who carved them? Where? Ivory Vikings explores these mysteries by connecting medieval Icelandic sagas with modern archaeology, art history, forensics, and the history of board games. In the process, Ivory Vikings presents a vivid history of the 400 years when the Vikings ruled the North Atlantic, and the sea-road connected countries and islands we think of as far apart and culturally distinct: Norway and Scotland, Ireland and Iceland, and Greenland and North America. The story of the Lewis chessmen explains the economic lure behind the Viking voyages to the west in the 800s and 900s. And finally, it brings from the shadows an extraordinarily talented woman artist of the twelfth century: Margret the Adroit of Iceland.

General

Imprint:	Palgrave Macmillan
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	October 2015
Authors:	Nancy Marie Brown
Dimensions:	241 x 163 x 26mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Cloth over boards / With dust jacket
Pages:	288
ISBN-13:	978-1-137-27937-8
Categories:	Books > Arts & Architecture > History of art / art & design styles > 500 CE to 1400 > General Books > Humanities > History > World history > 500 to 1500 Books > Humanities > History > European history > General Books > Humanities > Archaeology > Archaeology by period / region > European archaeology > Medieval European archaeology Books > History > European history > General Books > History > World history > 500 to 1500
LSN:	1-137-27937-0
Barcode:	9781137279378

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