Archaeologists in England have discovered an extremely rare Anglo-Saxon board gaming piece, which would have been used in a game similar to that of backgammon or draughts.

The find comes from the Lyminge Archaeological Project, which last year unearthed a late 6th/early 7th-century feasting hall in Lyminge, Kent. Beautifully crafted from a hollow cylinder of bone, the piece has delicate lathe-turned end caps secured with a central bronze rivet.

The Anglo-Saxon’s had a strong tradition of playing board games.

Individual gaming pieces, and sometimes complete sets in burials of the period, have been discovered.

Via Medievalists.Net.