This Gothic carving once made up the right side of a diptych. Diptychs are made up of two panels that fold together like a book and most commonly reflect religious devotion. This carving is made from elephant ivory which became more common during this era as trade increased between Europe and Africa and Asia.
Medieval Europe is characterized by 1,000 years of disease, death, and darkness. To learn more about Medieval Europe, see Resource 1.
During the Middle Ages, ivory from elephant trunks was extremely rare and expensive. Therefore, elephant ivory was used to make expensive and precious things, like religious artifacts. Walrus ivory could be imported from Scandinavia and other regions in northern Europe. It was less expensive and more readily available. Common items, like the chess pieces in Resource 2, were made from walrus ivory. To learn more about trade during the middle ages, see Resource 2.
Chess was not invented in Europe, but in India about 1500 years ago. It spread from India to Persia, and then to Southern Europe through the expansion of the Islamic Arabian Empire. The game has evolved over centuries but took on its modern form in Europe. To learn more about the history of chess, see Resource 3.
History of Medieval Europe- YouTube
To learn more about Medieval Europe, watch this video from Crash Course European History.
British Museum Chess Piece 3D Rendering
This is a queen piece from the Lewis Chessmen, one of 78 other hand-carved pieces found in Uig on the Isle of Lewis in 1831. Because the pieces show no wear and were found in a sandbank, it is thought that these pieces were part of a shipwreck that had drifted to the shore.
To learn more about the history of chess, watch this video from TedEd.
