Ancient ice skate discovered in the Czech Republic

An ancient ice skate made of animal bone has been discovered in the Czech Republic.

Researchers from the Comenius Museum, discovered the skate during a dig under someone's house in the city of Přerov.

Based on other objects found nearby, scientists think the skate could be around 1,000 years old, dating back to the late 10th or early 11th century.

The archaeologists say the skates would not have been used for sport or fun like today, but to help them to get about on icy surfaces during the winter.

Archaeologists say that around 1,000 years ago, the area would have been home to a very important fortress which was used by Polish King Bolesław the Brave and his soldiers, so the skates may have belonged to them.

The ancient skates have a carved "nose" on one side to help cut through the snow and ice, and each end has a small hole, through which leather straps would have been threaded to attach the skate to a boot or sled.

"Rather than skating, they would shuffle along the frozen surface with the help of a stick or two," explained Zdeněk Schenk, an archaeologist at the Comenius Museum.

"They would also attach the blades to sledges to carry a load of goods across the frozen water." he said.

Ancient ice skates made from animal bones, like this one, have been discovered in other parts of Europe, like Sweden and the UK.