Game works reveal Viking hairstyles – History Blog

A new examination of a small Viking-era game piece concentrated in the collection of the National Museum of Denmark found that the hairstyle is so detailed that researchers believe it depicts a hairstyle that is actually fashionable in the 10th century.

“What’s very unusual is that our depiction of the Vikings, even the three-dimensional Vikings. It’s a miniature bust, and it’s like we’re going to get a portrait of the Vikings,” said Peter Pentz, curator of the National Museum.

Just three centimeters (1.2 inches), the work was discovered in 1796 in a 10th-century horse tomb mound in Viken near Oslov County in southern Norway. It is carved from walrus ivory and depicts the head and chest of a man, with thick beards, long hard beards and side-facing hair. His hair was split in the middle, with his ears exposed on the side. His hair had a short back.

“We have no detailed knowledge about Viking hairstyles so far, but here we get all the details – even the small curly hair above the ears are marked. This is the first time we’ve seen a male Viking figure with his hair visible from all angles. It’s unique.”

The arms are damaged, but the beard recognizes a carving called a beard or beard statue. The new study suggests they are the kings in the Nordic strategic board game Hnefatafl. The pulling force of the beard symbolizes masculinity, fertility and royalty.

This is one of the first items in the National Museum category, with 589 items now out of more than 2 million items in the museum collection. In the storage room that has been stored for 200 years, currently on display, the museum is in the exhibition of the Vikings as part of the Wolf Warning.