Hair parted in the middle, cropped at the back, with a wavy lock styled above one ear. That’s not my haircut of choice, but if you were an elite Viking, it may well have been.
That’s the upshot of a study published last month in the journal Medieval Archaeology in which researchers re-examined a roughly one-inch-tall (three centimeters) Viking gaming piece that dates back more than 1,000 years. It was originally discovered among the burial things of a presumed Viking warrior in Norway in 1797 and was one of the first objects registered at Denmark’s National Museum. And now, more than two centuries later, Peter Pentz, curator at the museum, has (re)discovered features that make the piece truly exceptional.
The specimen stands out as a rare Viking portrayal of a human—one with character, expression, and a rather fancy haircut.
“When I came across him in one of our storage rooms a few years ago, I was really surprised – he just sat there, looking directly at me, and I had never before seen such a Viking, not in the many years I’ve been at the museum,” Pentz said in a statement.
A trendy hairstyle and a shrewd expression
The tiny figurine also has a long braided goatee, a large moustache, sideburns, and wears a “shrewd” expression. It’s among the museum’s exhibition about Viking Age seeresses.
Vikings were seafaring warriors who spread from Scandinavia to as far as North America between around 800 and 1050 CE. While Viking art frequently includes animals, depictions of humans are much rarer. As such, the piece provides insight into something equally as limited—fashionable Viking hairstyling.
“Hitherto, we haven’t had any detailed knowledge about Viking hairstyles, but here, we get all the details – even the little curl above the ear is marked,” Pentz said. “This is the first time we see a figure of a male Viking with his hair visible from all angles. It’s unique.”
Of course, the analysis presumes that the maker portrayed a typical, well-to-do Viking. But then again, why would they give the piece a random haircut? (That’s purely my own speculation, to be clear.)
The piece is reminiscent of Malta’s famous and much older Sleeping Lady statuette, whose half-shaved head also has archaeologists wondering if this was how the Mediterranean island’s mysterious temple people may have styled their hair.
The King of Viking Age Chess
Nonetheless, Pentz said that “it’s exceptional that we have such a vivid depiction of a Viking, even a three-dimensional one. This is a miniature bust and as close as we will ever get to a portrait of Viking.”
The piece is carved from walrus ivory, one of the Viking Age’s most prestigious materials, and was the most important piece—the king—in Hnefatafl, a game also known as Viking-Age chess. The burial it was found in dates to the latter half of the 10th century, meaning the piece itself is likely more than 1,000 years old. Harald Bluetooth—a Danish king best known for unifying Denmark and lending his name to Bluetooth technology—reigned during this period, and the burial was probably within his realm.