The Lewis Chessmen and what happened to them

CD-ROM

Main Details

Title The Lewis Chessmen and what happened to them
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Irving Finkel
By (author) David Attenborough
Physical Properties
Format:CD-ROM
Category/GenreAntiques and collectables
ISBN/Barcode 9780714128344
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher British Museum Press
Imprint British Museum Press
Publication Date 28 July 2014
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

The Lewis Chessmen were found on the Isle of Lewis in mysterious circumstances. Consisting of elaborately worked walrus ivory and whales' teeth in the form of seated kings and queens, bishops, knights, warders and pawns, this curious chess set is strongly influenced by Norse culture. Of the 93 pieces known to us today, 11 pieces are in Edinburgh at the National Museum of Scotland, and 82 are in the British Museum, where they have delighted gen erations of visitors with their wonderfully expressive details. In this engaging story, Irving Finkel follows the many adventures of the chessmen after they came to light on a Scottish beach in the nineteenth century. It ends with the big surprise that befell them in September 1993, when they were all temporarily reunited for the first time since their separation, at a Sp ecial Exhibition of Chessmen at the British Museum.

Author Biography

Irving Finkel is Assistant Keeper in the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum in London, where he is the curator of the collection of cuneiform clay tablets. He is the best-selling author of The Ark Before Noah, which documents the newly translated tablet of the Babylonian story of the flood which was recorded on clay tablets long before it was written down in the Hebrew Bible, proving it to be one of the world's most ancient and lasting stories. It is that tablet that has given rise to the story in this book.