Medieval Game - Hnefatafl In 400 AD there was a popular game called Tafl or hnefatafl meaning ‘Kings Table’ commonly played in Iceland, Scandinavia, England, Wales, Germany and Ireland. Gradually changes started occurring in this game and by 17th Century it took the shape of chess. The Players The game was generally played by two players both having unequal number of playing pieces. Components of Hnefatafl The various components of hnefatafl include a board, dice and several pieces. The board The board of hnefatafl is of different sizes varying from as small as 7 x 7 and as large as 19 x 19. It had peg holes with the king placed in the centre. In different countries the board was of different sizes and so also the set up. For example in Norway a 13 x 13 squares double sided, carved board was used. In Scotland and Ireland a seven by seven squares board and in Finland a nine by nine board was used. Board Layout The king stands at the centre of the board with his warriors, the eight black pieces placed around him. There placements depends upon the player whether he wants them to be in the shape of a cross or a square. The opponents warriors which are either white or in any light color are placed on the four edges of the board in a ‘T’ shape. Dice The game can be played with or without dice. The dice represents the maximum or minimum distance a player could move. There were rules stating when a player misses a turn. Pieces The gaming pieces were light and dark in color often made of antler, amber, bone, clay, glass, horn, stone, jet, wood or even horses' teeth. The number of these pieces differed according to the size of the board for example a nine by nine board had eight dark pieces surrounding the king and sixteen light pi...
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...n the center and twelve men in the places next to him; and twenty-four lie in wait to capture him. These are placed, six in the center of every end of the board and in the six central places. Two players move the pieces, and if one belonging to the King comes between the attackers, he is dead and is thrown out of the play; and if one of the attackers comes between two of the King's men, the same.” Finally, in the diary of Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist written in 1732, it is stated about a board game that “it is marked out with 9 x 9 squares, the central one being distinctive and known as Konakis or throne. Only the Swedish king can occupy this square. One player gas eight blonde Swedes and their monarch; the other has sixteen dark Muscovites.” Thus Hnefatafl is a game of the medieval ages which has many variant depending upon the country it is played in. Endnotes
believed to be the right one but no one knows for certain the originator of the game. We do know that the term "Ice Hockey"
The sports, games, and pastimes of the time of Shakespeare have not just been set aside and paid no attention to, but they have been effectively abandoned and omitted. The Elizabethan hobbies have been thoroughly overshadowed by many modern sports such as baseball, football, soccer, hockey, and an abundant amount of other games. The 16th century English pastimes included many activities that were impeccable examples of both simplicity and amusement intertwined. With all of these amusing yet transparent games, the era was most acknowledged for theater- a prominent art that is still valued today. The sports, games, and pastimes of the time of Shakespeare are rarely played today because they would be considered illegal, barbarous, and inhumane.
During the Middle Ages, both “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” were epic stories that were chanted aloud to the public. Each story told about epic heroes who went on a long journey to face or conqueror someone or something. “Beowulf” is a poem about a young man, Beowulf, who slays a monster and his mother with his bare hands to protect the people he loves. As the years go by Beowulf becomes king and a dragon begins to stir. In response to this, Beowulf fights the dragon with a sword and one loyal companion. Beowulf’s life comes to end, but so does the dragons. From this epic poem you can see that good does triumph over evil, but sometimes it comes at a cost. Along with “Beowulf”, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was another popular poem. This poem was about a squire, Sir Gawain, who chooses to take on a game proposed by the Green Knight instead of his uncle, King Arthur. He took on the game because he believed King Arthur’s life was more valuable than his own and that King Arthur should not risk his own life. As a result, Sir Gawain became a knight because of his loyalty and bravery. Both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s and Beowulf’s characters share the same quality of courage, the desire to protect people and the involvement of supernatural beings.
In the earliest times of American Indian lacrosse, the game had few rules, if any. Lacrosse games would last for days, stopping at sunset and continuing the next day at sunrise. The fi...
Malory, Thomas, and Keith Baines.Malory's Le morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the legends of the Round Table. 1962. Reprint, New York: New American Library, 2010.
WAS THE TIME PERIOD BETWEEN 400 AD AND 1400 AD A “DARK AGE” FOR EUROPE?
Games similar to soccer were played in China as early as 400 B.C. In 200 A.D. the Romans played a game in which 2 teams tried to score by advancing the ball across a line on a field, which means no soccer goals. They passed the ball to one another, but not by kicking it. Also in the 1100's, London children played a form of soccer (World Book Encyclopedia, S p.73).
The past history have a huge impact on the future. From the ancient art history until current years it is safe to say that the art changed drastically, it shows that people nowadays have different values, styles and priorities in life. The past teaches people about the future and helps to avoid mistakes. In the Paleolithic period, where folks were focusing on hunting and gathering, where everyday life was dynamic, meaning they were moving from one place to another in search of better resources (Upper Paleolithic, 28) to Mesopotamian period where things were more certain and people liked to stay in one place. Paleolithic period did not consist of writing which is the main reason people can only guess and interpret the culture based on their own guesses what was the society like back then.
Saunders, Pearl I. "Symbolism in Ralph Ellison's 'King of the Bingo Game,'." CLA Journal 20
Nelson, Lynn H.. "Lectures for Medieval Survey." The ORB: on-line Reference Book for Medieval Studies. College of State Island, CUNY, 10 November 2002. Web. 27 Feb 2012.
In this essay, I will uncover the countless insights that can be learned about the characters in Beowulf, as well as the society as a whole, based on the weapons the characters choose to use in battle. During the Anglo-Saxon time, roughly between 400 and 1066, swords were considered the most precious weapon someone could own. Although it is not certain who wrote Beowulf, and when, many people believe it was composed in the middle to end of the Anglo-Saxon period. Analyzing the different weapons, and significance of each, in Beowulf, and comparing them to the weaponry at the time, provides the readers with a great deal of insight into the society during this period. The use of weapons in Beowulf not only provides the readers with insight into
Living in the medieval time period was not as glamorous as it is often portrayed; peasants and serfs led hard lives, however, kings, lords, and knights lived lavishly and at the expense of those under them. In this paper you will read about all of these lifestyles, as well as the castles in which these lords and kings lived in. Mainly castle designs, fortifications, and siege tactics will be revealed to you; yet there are several sections, dealing with the lifestyles of the above mentioned, leading up to that.
A civilization is the starting point of a society. Civilizations have existed for millions of years and are the basic unit of structure for a society. Civilizations were the base of great societies such as Egypt and Rome. If not for civilizations these societies would not have flourished or even existed.
What exactly are sports? To answer this question, sports are activities that people play in to compete and have fun. Sports have been around since man has been on earth. It is something to keep people active and for them to have something to do when there is nothing else. There are many types of sports that involve different materials and rules that you need to complete your objectives in these games. In sports they have many aspects and needs in order to perform and in this essay I will be telling you about many sports through history and ways to play them.
The history of math has become an important study, from ancient to modern times it has been fundamental to advances in science, engineering, and philosophy. Mathematics started with counting. In Babylonia mathematics developed from 2000B.C. A place value notation system had evolved over a lengthy time with a number base of 60. Number problems were studied from at least 1700B.C. Systems of linear equations were studied in the context of solving number problems.