SEYðISFJÖRðUR, ICELAND—A possible bear or boar carved from volcanic tuff has been unearthed in eastern Iceland at a settlement site dated to between A.D. 940 and 1100, according to a report in Iceland Review. Archaeologist Ragnheiður Traustadóttir said that the object measures about two inches long and is thought to have been a toy. One of the animal’s ears has been slightly damaged, but it still stands when placed on a flat surface. “It is rare for toys to be found in excavations here in Iceland,” Traustadóttir said, “but it is entirely logical since children existed in this period, as in any other.” Some 70 fragments of chess pieces and spindle whorls made of volcanic tuff have also been recovered. To read about 3,500-year-old clay pig figurines uncovered at a Polish hillfort, go to "Piggy Playthings."
