SMOOTH OPERATOR
Every man needed to look his best before going on a raid
Ironing is one of those household chores many loathe having to do. However, removing the creases from your linen is not a modern task: the Vikings did it too. This whalebone plaque, found in a burial barrow in Norway, dates to the ninth-century. Multiple uses have been suggested for the plaque, decorated with horse’s heads, including a smoothing board – a precursor to the ironing board – or a chopping board. Similar plaques have been found in the graves of rich Viking women in Ireland and Scotland.