Introduction
Throughout history chess has been played by many different cultures around the world and each culture has had the benefit of designing the style of the chess board sets they enjoyed playing on. Chess has historically been played on a wide array of boards and many luxurious chess board sets have been found through archaeological digs belonging to wealthy individuals from the past. It’s very well known that chess has been a very popular pastime enjoyed by a large community of people in the past especially the rich and the powerful as chess was historically a game reserved for the wealthiest and most powerful individuals.
The chess board sets that have been found throughout history have been both exquisite and ancient. The age of the oldest chess board sets that have been found and the fact that the chess board sets of ancient times have been able to survive until the present date in fairly good condition shows just how much time and effort went into ensuring that the chess boards presumably belonging to the royals of ancient times were both exquisite and would stand the test of time.
How Old Is The Oldest Chess Board Set That Has Ever Been Found?
The oldest chess board set that has ever been found is around 1300 years old and was found in Afrasiab Samarkand in modern day Uzbekistan. The Afrasiab chess board set that was found is made from pure elephant ivory and was designed in the original Indian chaturanga fashion. The chess pieces that were found were a king, a vizier (the king’s advisor), a chariot (modern day rook), horse (modern day knight), an elephant (modern day bishop), and two soldiers or pawns.
The Afrasiab chess board set is the oldest chess board set in the world it was found in moderately good condition and was made of pure elephant ivory which was highly coveted in ancient times and inaccessible to the majority of people of the ancient world apart from the wealthy and the royals. The site was discovered by archaeologist and historian Jurij F. Burjakov in 1977 and confirmed many beliefs about ancient chess held by the global chess community.
The Afrasiab chess board set dates back to around 700-760 AD and was named after the site in which it was discovered. The site of discovery was named after an ancient king and hero of Turan who is famous in history for his military prowess. The Afrasiab chess board set was named after the location of its discovery and also the name of the ancient Turanian king.
Where Was The Oldest Chess Board Set Found?
The oldest chess board set that has ever been found was discovered in Afrasiab Samarkand which is now modern day Uzbekistan by historian and archaeologist Jurij F Burjakov in 1977.
The ancient city of Afrasiab named after the ancient Turanian king was the discovery site of the world’s oldest surviving chess board set. The chess board set was discovered in 1977 and has since remained the oldest chess board set in the world. There has been no other chess board sets found since that can boast of dating back to such a remote period in the history of chess. Being that chess or chaturanga was created around the 6th century the Afrasiab chess board set reflects the style of ancient chess in its purest form without any major alterations being made to the style of play as is now the popular style of play in modern times.
Afrasiab Samarkand was one of the most important sites along the silk road and was instrumental in allowing trade between Asia and Europe. The location of Afrasiab made it ideal for resting travellers and traders who also needed to rest and handle business affairs. Being in the middle of China and Europe during the rise of chess made Afrasiab an ideal location for chess enthusiasts to introduce chess to those who were unfamiliar with chess and challenge other chess enthusiasts who were familiar with the game. The silk road trade network allowed for the introduction of new innovations like chess both in Europe and Asia.
What Materials Were The Oldest Chess Board Sets Carved Of?
The Afrasiab chess board set is the oldest chess board set in the world and is made from pure elephant ivory. The pieces are styled in the original Indian chaturanga fashion with a kings advisor replacing the modern day queen ,a chariot instead of a rook and an elephant instead of a bishop.
The Afrasiab chess board set is one of the most highly valued chess board sets not only for its historical significance but for the actual value of the ivory it was made from. Elephants ivory is highly valued in modern times but was also extremely important to societies of the past. Ivory and other precious materials of the ancient times were rarely accessible to all but the wealthy and the royals of ancient times because of this it is highly likely that the Afrasiab chess board set was crafted for a king or queen. Ivory was highly coveted in ancient times for more than just its intrinsic value ,ivory was used for crafting religious ornaments along with fine art and even medicine in some instances. Ivory has been used by many civilisations from the ancient world from the Greeks to the romans and the ancient Egyptians. The heavy utilisation of ivory for these reasons in the past up until modern times has been detrimental to the elephant population around the globe.
Using ivory also ensured that the chess board sets would stand the test of time as ivory is known for its durability as it’s difficult to damage either by physical impact ,fire or water. Many chess board sets that have been found throughout history have either been made from stone ,ivory ,wood or precious metals. Some of the oldest chess board sets have even been found to be made from walrus ivory and sperm whale teeth. Although ivory is extremely durable archaeologists are able to determine the validity of the age of most ancient chess board sets by the curvature and warping effect the majority of ancient chess boards made from ivory exhibit. A good way to distinguish an ancient ivory chess board set from a regular chess board set is by examining the chess board and pieces for any curving or warping effects caused by natural aging and by the weight of the chess board set as ivory is substantially heavier than most other materials used to make chess board sets.
How Much Could An Ancient Chess Board Set Be Worth?
An ancient chess board set could be worth anywhere from $850,000 to $1.2 million dollars. Chess board sets of antiquity were primarily made from ivory and precious metals and would be highly valued for the material contents along with its historical significance.
An ancient chess board set like the Afrasiab chess board set could be valued in the millions not only for its material contents but also for its historical significance to the global chess community. Similar chess board sets like the Lewis chessman set found in the Isle of Lewis in the 19th century and made from walrus ivory are highly valued for similar reasons. Chess boards in antiquity were primarily made for the uber wealthy of the times and royalty and so the majority of chess board sets that have been found from ancient times have been crafted from the finest and most expensive materials of the time such as ivory , walrus and sperm whale teeth along with precious metals like gold and silver. Historically chess has strongly been associated with royalty ,wealth and power and this is one of the reasons why. Chess board sets up until modern times were unobtainable to the common classes of society as it was just simply too expensive.
Chess became much more affordable in Europe for the general public during the medieval period. Although chess board sets have been generally expensive in history the lower classes of society have found ways to mitigate the expense of a luxury chess board set by utilising materials that were more readily available and cheaper to produce such as wood and stone. The majority of the chess board sets that have been found from ancient times have primarily been made from the strongest and most durable materials such as ivory ,gold and silver as these materials would be safe from erosion of any sort and would remain in pristine condition for the pleasure of the owners of these chess board sets.
Conclusion
The oldest chess board sets found in the world are known for both their beauty and their age . The oldest chess board set of them all being the Afrasiab chess board set is the most famous and dates back to a period of time which is very close to the creation of chess in the 6th century. The location of the site of discovery on the silk road could indicate that the Afrasiab chess board set was to be gifted to a prominent figure likely a wealthy businessman, war general or a member of a royal family whose home was in close proximity to the silk road. Discovering the Afrasiab chess board set along with other ancient chess board sets has given the world a chance to glimpse the style of chess in its original form and also the design of an ancient chess board.
The use of durable materials that would be safe from erosion and stand the test of time like ivory, sperm whale teeth and precious metals have made it possible for these ancient chess board sets to be found. Many of the chess board sets from the medieval period and further back into more ancients periods in time have been nearly impossible to find because of the poor quality of the materials used. Without the strong association to wealth and status chess has had from ancient times it would be highly unlikely any chess boards sets would be found in modern times. The importance of quality materials being used to create high quality chess board sets for the pleasure of the aristocratic members of society has been instrumental for the historians and archaeologists of modern times in search for such treasures to find them.
