Game piece, chess piece

Bone chess piece (king) decorated with incised lines and ring-and-dot designs. There is a small knob on the top, decorated with incised lines that may represent a crown. Chess was invented in India by the 6th century AD and then spread through the Islamic world. The game was introduced to northern Europe by the Arabs in the late 10th century. The game became fashionable in England by the 1100s. When chess moved from India into Islamic countries, the ban on figurative images meant that the pieces had to be made in very stylised forms. These simplified designs were then adopted in Europe (though detailed figurative chess pieces were also made, such as the famous Lewis chessmen in the British Museum). The Arabic representation of the king piece is of an Indian king on an elephant. The upper part of the piece depicted the throne or howdah and the lower part was the elephant. A knob on top represented the king's head. 'Queen' pieces are identical but smaller.