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bfreyabb.bsky.social
Bur Freya
@bfreyabb.bsky.social
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alisonfisk.bsky.social
WOW, this is the earliest known group of chess pieces in the world! 🤩

It includes two foot-soldiers, two mounted riders, an elephant with rider, a figure driving two horses, and a figure driving a three-horse chariot. Ivory, AD 700s.

Samarkand State Museum-Reserve, Uzbekistan. 📷 me

#Archaeology
My photo shows seven honey-coloured chess pieces, hand-carved from elephant ivory and worn with age. They are displayed in two uneven lines. At the front are two foot-soldiers, behind them are two mounted riders, followed by an elephant with rider (nearest viewer) and a figure driving two horses. At the back is a figure driving a three-horse chariot. It’s suggested they represent divisions of an army. Dimensions: Height between 2.6cm - 3.7cm. Dated AD 700s. I saw these pieces on display at the British Museum’s ‘Silk Roads’ Exhibition in 2024, on loan from Samarkand State Museum-Reserve, Uzbekistan. The museum label read: “This is the earliest known group of chess pieces in the world. Probably originating in India as an aristocratic game, chess spread along Silk Road routes and became a popular pastime across the Islamic world and Europe. These pieces are made of ivory, which probably came from India. They reflect the continued movement of luxury goods and elite customs in the Islamic period”.
January 21, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Bur Freya
kpw1453.bsky.social
The Baliscate Standing Stones, near Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. The standing stones are one of several prehistoric stone rows on the island. 📸 My own. #StandingStoneSunday #Prehistory #Archaeology #Mull
January 18, 2026 at 7:26 AM
Reposted by Bur Freya
alisonfisk.bsky.social
Ice Age art!

A lovely little horse figurine sculpted from mammoth tusk around 15,000 years ago!

Known as ‘The Little Horse of Lourdes’ it was found in 1886 in the cave of Les Espélugues, Lourdes, Haute-Pyrénées, France. 📷 by me.

#Archaeology
My photo shows a small horse statuette in a museum display case. The horse, viewed in profile, was masterfully carved from mammoth ivory around 15,000 years ago. The sculptor has depicted many realistic details such as the eyes, nostrils, and ears flattened against the head. The coat is represented by finely incised lines and dots. The mane is sculpted in relief, with incised lines on both sides. The four legs and tail are incomplete. The surface of the ivory has a shiny brown patina. Dimensions: Length 7.3 cm x Height 3.5 cm. The statuette is known as ‘The Little Horse of Lourdes’. It was discovered in 1886 in a rock fissure in the Espélugues cave, Lourdes, Haute-Pyrénées, France. Part of the collections at the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale, Domaine national de Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
January 20, 2026 at 5:17 PM