Antler dice used in a typical Anglo-Saxon board game. (1)




A game of Tabula
(2)

Duodecim scripta (tabula or katrutafl)

Tabula was a game developed from the popular Roman game, duodecim scripta. It is also known as tabula or alea. It was played in Germany and Scandinavia during the Roman Iron Age, where it was called katrutafl. Many wooden boards for this kind of game are from the Saxon’s Germanic homeland. Metal fittings for the board from were found in Germany and Denmark from the Viking Age. The only surviving British tabula board was found in Glouster, England and it dated back to the eleventh century. Decorated bone plates that cover the wooden board and the playing pieces, made from antler and bones, used to be decorated with paint.

It is possible that Tabula was played similarly to backgammon. Fifteen black/red pieces, fifteen white pieces, and three dice were used to play. The object of the game is to move all of your pieces to your home and then back off the board before the other person can. When all the pieces are at your home, they can be removed from the board by one or more moves. Whoever removes all their pieces off the board first wins!
(2)

Board Games

Gaming Pieces, which were made of bone, pottery, glass or stone, have been found in numerous Anglo-Saxon graves. However the boards the games were played on are rarely found since they were made of wood which rots in the ground. A few boards have been found in Britain and Scandinavia which give us clues as to the sort of games which were played.
(3)

There were many different board games played, some of which are still played today in one form or another such as 'nine man's morris', 'backgammon' and 'fox and geese'. Other board games, called 'Hnaftafl' and the like, which are less well known today were also played. Apart from the huge variety of dice games, there were many games of dextrous skill such as knucklebones.(4)


(6) Fox and Geese set up game board

Halatafl

A popular game found in Ireland and Sweden. It is said to be similiar to modern day solitare. It is also thought that this game could be an alternative to the game known as fox and geese. (5)




Knucklebones
Knucklebones were used in the same fashion as 'Jacks' are today. The rules are fairly simple. One knuckle is balanced on the back of your wrist. This is then flung up in the air, another is snatched off the floor, and with the same hand , the two are caught in the palm. Then two knuckles are placed on the back of the wrist and so on. The knuckles are in fact astragaluses, a bone found in the ankle, from a pig, stripped of all the meat and fat.(4)






Chess
The famous Isle of Lewis Chess set, which is in fact several incomplete chess sets made from Walrus Ivory, is dated to the 12th century AD due to the art style on some of the pieces. This not necessarily in dispute. However, chessmen and sets are now coming to light from Eastern Europe, that are firmly dated to the 10th century AD, that are made from similar materials. With the vast amount of trade and political movement, such as Edward the Confessors banishment to Hungary during the later medieval period, it would seem likely that the game was known in this country. It has yet to be proved in any way with finds though.(4)

Riddling
Riddles to the Anglo-Saxons were actually considered to be a game, and the most popular game at that. Warriors could have all of the skills and weapons in the world, but it meant nothing if they did not have the wit to compose a clever riddle. Many of them were intended to have two meanings-- one "innocent," the other somewhat raunchy. The riddles have been found about as long as 100 lines. They typically tried to find different ways to describe an ordinary, every-day object that would make it more complicated to guess. The answer did, however, have to be somewhat apparent, and the riddles had to have the proper construction, too. (1)


Childrens' Games:

Children during the Anglo-Saxon time played many instruments such as bone or reed whistles and wooden pan-pipes. They also took part in dancing, singing, and telling each other riddles to past the time. The picture to the left is of two bone whistles that the children would have played.













Sources
(1) http://www.regia.org/games.htm
(2) http://www.regia.org/games.htm
(3) http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/amps/discovery/Life/dailylife/games_info.html
(4) http://www.regia.org/pastimes.htm
(5)http://www.regia.org/games.htm
(6)http://www.regia.org/images/Games09.jpg
(7) http://www.regia.org/pastimes.htm