Beside the weapons were objects suggesting status and — according to the researchers who later studied the grave in depth — a specific kind of authority. A strategic gaming set included twenty-eight pieces, a king piece distinguished by an iron nail mark, three dice, and an iron board frame. This set, and its interpretation, would become one of the central points of subsequent scholarly debate. The pieces had been bundled in a bag that, per the supplementary material from the 2017 paper, was positioned in the deceased’s lap. The board was propped beside the body.
The clothing and personal items were equally elaborate. Remnants of silk with silver brocade suggested a kaftan of considerable quality. An iron ring pin for a cloak was present. A tasseled samite hat with silver ornaments indicated a person of significant means. Three iron weights, a bronze vessel, and three tin rods suggest commercial activity or measurement. A miniature spearhead, likely an amulet, and forty mirror-glass pieces — possibly used as sequins on fabric — added further dimension to the assemblage. A quarter silver dirham of Nasr ibn Ahmad, the Samanid ruler, provided a dating anchor: his reign places the coin in approximately 913–943 AD, giving a probable grave date somewhere around 940–950.
Outside the wooden chamber, on a clay platform at one end of the burial, were two horses: a mare and a stallion, both bridled. Horse equipment was present throughout — stirrups found at the feet of the deceased, ice crampons for the horses, a chariot-pulling harness, and an antler curry-comb. The inclusion of two horses, with this degree of equipment, was a substantial investment in the burial and placed it firmly within the upper tier of Birka’s interments.