A small sandstone object found in Jordon might be the oldest chess piece ever found. The object was found at Humayma, which was along the busy Via Nova Traiana, an ancient trade route between Asia and the Near and Middle East. The carved, two-pronged object, dated to approximately 1,300 years ago, could be the earliest example of a rook (castle). Historians believe the game of chess originated in India approximately 1,500 years ago, and that its name, rules and pieces names changed over time. The Humayma rook is now stored in University of Victoria in Canada.
In modern chess games, the piece resembles a medieval tower—it moves horizontally or vertically through any number of unoccupied squares. In earlier times, the rook was fashioned to look like a dual-horse chariot, which may account for the two-pronged look of early Islamic figures.
Picture Credit : Google