Bone chess piece (rook). Chess was invented in India by the 6th century AD and then spread through the Islamic world. The game was introduced to northern Europe by the Arabs in the late 10th century. The game became fashionable in England by the 1100s. When chess moved from India into Islamic countries, the ban on figurative images meant that the pieces had to be made in very stylised forms. These simplified designs were then adopted in Europe (though detailed figurative chess pieces were also made, such as the famous Lewis chessmen in the British Museum). A 'rook' was originally an Arabic 'Rukhkh' (camel-mounted soldier). This was represented by an abstract Persian chariot - a deep v-shaped notch on a rectangular block. European people apparently mistook this for a castle or tower (today a rook is often in the form of a tower). This rook has ring-and-dot decoration.
