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The Lewis Chessmen is a collection of unique 12th-century chess pieces that were made from walrus ivory and with a few of the chess pieces made from whale teeth.
The 78 Chess pieces might have belonged to at least five different Chess Sets. Most of the pieces are sculptured to represent human figures, except for the smaller Pawn pieces which had geometric shapes.
The Knight pieces are mounted on horses and are shown holding spears and shields. The rooks pieces depict standing warders carrying shields and swords.
Four of the rooks are shown as wild-eyed berserkers biting their shields with battle fury. The chess pieces were designed to displayed strength and ferocity.
The only exception was the Queens. The Queens all have their heads resting on their hands to reflect contemplation and wisdom.
The chessmen were discovered in 1831. They were found in a sandbank at the head of Camas Uig on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Named after the bay where they were found, the Lewis Chessmen constitute very rare surviving medieval chess pieces.
When found, the hoard contained 93 artifacts: 78 chess pieces, 14 table-men, and one belt buckle. Some pieces bore traces of a red stain, indicating that red and white were used to distinguish the two sides.