Iceland review - 2013, Side 14

Culture Club
FisTFul OF hisTOry
the national muSeum of iCeland
suðurgata 41, 101 reykjavík
open tuesdays through sundays, 11am-5pm
the national Museum of iceland celebrates its 150th
anniversary in February 2013. its beginnings are traced
back to the donation of ancient relics to the country’s
pioneers in archaeology in 1863.
the hnefatafl chess pieces in the picture were
among these objects, found in a pagan grave
at Baldursheimur in the rural Mývatn district,
northeast iceland, in 1860-61.
the grave is believed to date back to the tenth
century. the body was laid to rest in full armor,
carrying a sword, ax, spear and shield. the grave,
which is among the most opulent ever found in
iceland, also contained other objects for the warrior to
use in the afterlife, including the hnefatafl.
the Viking board game is comprised of chess pieces
made from whale bone or walrus tooth, an oblong die from the
leg bone of a large animal and the 3.9-centimeter high figurine to
the left. it is thought to represent the hnefi (‘fist’), after which the game is
named.
the figurine is one of few complete carvings of a human image that
exist in the nordic countries, and therefore the little bone chess piece is
considered the most notable relict found in the Baldursheimur grave. ESA
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hAppy 150Th ANN iversAry !
CINTAMANI AUSTURHRAUNI 3
210 GARÐABÆ, Tel. 533 3805
MON–FRI 10–18, SAT 11–14
CINTAMANI BANKASTRÆTI 7
101 REYKJAVÍK, Tel. 533 3390
MON–WED 10–18, THUR 10–21
FRI 10–19, SAT 10–18, SUN 12–18
CINTAMANI KRINGLUNNI
103 REYKJAVÍK, Tel. 533 3003
KRINGLAN'S OPENING HOURS
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12 ICELAND REVIEW