Object description
This ice skate dates to the Viking period, between the 9th and 10th centuries AD.
Skates were generally made from animal bones, most commonly the shin bones of cattle and horses. This particular skate is thought to be made from antler bone.
It has a tapered, upturned head with two perforations, one on either side. Leather straps would have been threaded through these holes to attach the skates to a shoe or sled. Blades were often attached to sledges to carry goods across frozen water.
The blade is flattened on one side. This meant that the skater could travel in all directions.
Ice-skate/Animal,Bone/9th or 10th century AD/The Hunt Collection/PD
Ice-skating
Ice-skating dates back as far as the Bronze Age. Bone skates have been found throughout flat, wet regions of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.
Earlier in 2024, a 1000 year old ice skate was discovered in a city in Czechia. This skate is identical to others found in northern Europe, including England, Ireland and Sweden.
Unlike today, ice-skates in the past were primarily used as a method of transport. The blades were attached to sledges to transport goods. They were also attached to people’s shoes to allow them to navigate frozen surfaces such as waterways. It is thought that people would have used a pole to help to push themselves along.
From the 14th and 15th century AD, ice skating in the Netherlands became as important a mode of transport as driving is today. Skates allowed Dutch people to navigate the extensive network of canals during the winter months. In relation to this, it is interesting to note that the Dutch have more combined medals and gold medals in speed skating than any other country in the history of the Olympics.
Today, skates have metal blades. This enables greater control and stability than the wooden skates. It also increases the speed we can travel over the ice by up to 4 times. However, whereas modern blades can only travel forwards or backwards, ancient skates allowed for travel in multiple directions.
Sources
Anderson, S. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-ancient-ice-skate-made-of-animal-bone-has-been-found-in-the-czech-republic-180984037/
Poppick, L. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ice-skates-werent-always-jumps-and-twirls-they-were-getting-around-180967931/
Thurber, B. A. “The Similarity of Bone Skates and Skis.” Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, vol. 9, 2013, pp. 197–214. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45020176. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
