Archaeological findings

The Dalverzin-Tepe pieces
The terracotta figures from Northern India
The Butrint piece
Chess representation in Angkor temples in Cambodia
The oldest Janggi (Korean Chess) known pieces, found in Mado shipwreck N°3

If texts constitute the main sources for Chess history, archaeological findings made available through the world are from the first importance.

1) the materials used for Chess and other games can not be always conserved. Boards may have been drawn or dug on the ground or on perishable supports. Wood is also short-lived, especially in humid countries. Only in very specific conditions, wooden game pieces that can be identified have a chance to be discovered. As far as metals are concerned, pieces in token shape, as for Xiangqi, could have been mistaken for coins. That is the main reason to explain why only almost complete sets have been found for old Xiangqi: incomplete ones could have been taken to mere coins.

2) the important countries or regions for seminal Chess are, alas, victims of modern wars or major instabilities : Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kashmir are very difficult areas for archaeological missions. Another region which could be of importance to understand the diffusion in Asia is Indochina. It can be imagined how it should be difficult to dig in Cambodia or Vietnam nowadays.

Estimated Date

Place of discovery

Game

Museum

2nd century AD	Dalverzin-Tepe, Southern Uzbekistan	?	Chamra Institute of scientific art, Tashkent
	Two small ivory figures of Indian origin (?) : an Elephant and a Zebu-like Bull

from 2nd to 5th century	Northern India, Kanauj, Ahicchatra, Pâtaliputra	?	Kept in museums in India
	Several terracotta figures, in form of warriors, elephants, horses and chariots. Their use as chessmen has not been proved yet.

Before 628 ? (by comparison with sculpture from Sassanian period)	Persian origin, purchased in Bagdad, Irak	Chatrang (tbc)	Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
	Elephant in carved stone (dolomite). Its chess piece nature is contested by some historians

Early 6th century	Afghanistan or Northern India	?	Private collection, Germany
	Brownish terracotta Knight. Its design bears several similarities with some Afrasiab pieces

Around 761 (because a coin so dated belongs to the same layer)	Afrasiab, near Samarkand, Uzbekistan / Tajikistan	Chatrang	Uzbekistan State Museum, Samarkand
	7 ivory men : King, Vizir, Elephant, 2 Knights, Chariot and Pawn. Several isolated pieces have been unearthed which are alike.

6th-8th century?	North Afghanistan	Chatrang	Private collection
	5 stone men : 1 King or Vizir, 2 Elephants, 1 Knight, 1 Chariot.

8th-10th century	Belaia Vezha, on the Don river, South of Russia	Shatranj	Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
	An ivory Elephant

9th-10th century	Nishapur, Iran	Shatranj	Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
	King, Vizir, Knight, Elephant, Rook having an Arabic abstract pattern. One side stained dark green. Elephants have two small tusks on the top.

End of 9th or beginning of 10th	San Genadio, Leon, Spain	Chess	Monastery of Santiago de Peñalba (Leon/ Spain)
	Mozarab chess pieces. Ivory. First Chess piece known in Europe

Late 10th century	Venafro, Campania, Italy	Chess	Museo archeologico di Napoli (Italy)
	Chess set, bone with ivory topping

1008-1010	Paladru Lake Charavines, Isère, France	Chess	Colletière, Isère, France
	Queen, Bishop and Rook in hazeltree wood or bone

978-1070	Pineuilh Gironde, France	Chess	Pineuilh, St Foy la Grande, France
	A Rook (deer bone) and a kneeled piece

1059	In the Kôfukuji at Nara	Shogi	Nara, Japan (?)
	16 pieces, same shape as modern pieces in Hinoki wood (Japanese cypress). Drunk Elephant is thought to be within those pieces.

1068-1071	Ager, Catalonia, Spain	Chess	Museum de Lleida (Lerida) Dociesa i Comarcal (Spain)
	Mozarab chess set, rock-crystal

1080-1090, probably made in Salerne, south of Italy	From the St Denis Treasure, origin unknown. Often wrongly named "The Charlemagne set".	Chess	Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris
	Carved pieces in elephant ivory: 2 Kings, 2 Queens, 4 Elephants, 4 Knights, 3 Chariots (Rooks), 1 Foot Soldier.

Beginning of 12th century	Scandinavian or German origin Found at Ilot des Deux-Bornes, around Noyon, Oise, France	Chess	Musée du Noyonnais, Noyon, France
	Chess set, deer bone

1102-1106 (Chongning era) during Northern Song Dynasty (960-1126)	1)Near Anxi in Jiangxi province 2) Kaifeng, Beijing	Xiangqi	Beijing (?)
	1)32 copper pieces: 2 Generals, 4 Ministers (differentiated through slightly different characters), 4 Chariots, 4 Horses, 4 Elephants, 4 Cannons, 10 Soldiers. Disks red and black. Characters in one side and pictures on the other. 2)Set of copper pieces. Each piece has a picture carved on the back. The general carries a sword, sitting in a tent. Guards are females, wearing armors. The ministers are elephants. Rooks are wagons for transporting rocks for the rock-slingers. Knights are horses. Cannons are rock-slinging machines. Pawns hold spears. Characters in one side and pictures on the other. Ministers not differentiated.

About 1150 and probably from Trondheim or other Scandinavian town	Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland	Chess	British Museum, London & National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh
	93 carved pieces: 8 Kings, 8 Queens, 16 Bishops, 15 Knights, 12 Warders (Rooks), 19 Pawns, 14 plain disks, 1 belt buckle. Some are stained red. Made in walrus tusk but few in whale tooth.

Before 1200	Angkor Vat	Ouk Chatrang	Angkor, Cambodia
	Sculptures on reliefs

13th - 14th century	Japan	Chu Shogi or Dai Shogi	Japan
	Set of pieces

Rukh (Chariot) in ivory from Afrasiab, about 7th/8th century, Uzbekistan State Museum, Samarkand
(from "Roi des jeux, jeu des rois, les échecs", Jean-Michel Péchiné, Gallimard)