1,000-Year-Old Ice Skate Discovered in Czech Republic, But It’s Not Made of Metal

Archaeologists in the Czech Republic stumbled upon an incredible discovery — a 1,000-year-old ice skate!

In an interview with Radio Prague International published on March 14, archaeologist Zdeněk Schenk, who led the team of researchers, said the skate was made of animal bone, not metal.

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“The object has a specific shape,” Schenk explained in an interview, according to The Debrief. “On one side it’s curved into a top with a hole drilled in it, and there’s another hole on the back side.”

archaeologist excavates — picture.

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According to the source, the skate was discovered in the town of Přerov, near the Monrovia region, during a “rescue” excavation in the basement of a house in the area.

Researchers from the Comenius Museum in Přerovo were on another assignment for the house when the discovery was made, according to Newsweek.

During the interview, Schenk said the centuries-old innovation is rust-resistant thanks to a material made from animal bone, although it is not known what kind of mammal remains were used. He said it might be made of horse bone.

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He also described how skates were created.

“[The holes] they were used to thread the tape that was used to attach the skate to the shoe or to the wooden sled,” Schenk told Radio Prague International.

The researcher also added that there are not enough biological remains to accurately date the archaeological find, however, by examining other artifacts near where the skate was found, those involved in the discovery were able to determine how long ago the invention was used.

Archaeologist — picture.

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“It dates back to the time when there was a very important fortress in the area of ​​Gornji trg,” said the archaeologist. “It served as a stronghold for the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, who at that time occupied Moravia and stationed his soldiers there.”

Schenk told Radio Prague International that whoever used the skates probably did so for a more practical use rather than sports or leisure activities as seen in modern times.

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“Instead of skating, they would drag themselves along the frozen surface with the help of a stick or two,” Schenk said.

As remarkable as the discovery was, the archaeologist noted that similar sites have been recorded in other European locations, possibly linking them to a Norse origin.

“We know of other similar pieces found in Central Europe, and especially in northwestern Europe, in Scandinavia,” Schenk told Radio Prague International. “They mostly come from the same time frame as that of Přerov, and are often found in Viking settlements from the 10th century.”

“The bone skate from Přerov is almost identical to skates found in Northern Europe, for example from Birka in Sweden — a very famous archaeological site from the Viking Age — and also from York in England or Dublin in Ireland,” the archaeologist also told Newsweek.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education