A 1,000-year-old gaming piece made from walrus ivory may be the first depiction of an actual Viking ever found, revealing how these ancient Norsemen wore their hair. Sporting a center parting and sideburns, the miniature figurine – which probably represented a king – may also be stroking its massive beard in an apparent display of masculine virility. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Originally discovered in a burial mound belonging to a Viking warrior in Norway in 1796, the three-centimeter high (1.2-inch) sculpture dates back to the second half of the 10th century CE and lay unnoticed in the collections of the Danish National Museum for several centuries. Recently, however, the piece was rediscovered by curator Peter

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