Senet is the oldest board game ever discovered and is at least 5,500 years old. The full name of the game in Egyptian was sn.t n.t H'b meaning the "passing game." Over the centuries, the Senet game evolved into Backgammon, another game of chance and strategy. Thousands of years later, we are still fascinated with the ancient Egyptian civilization. There are many unanswered questions that continue perplex the scientists and engineers of our time. In many ways it seems that ancient Egypt was even more advanced than our own civilization. Relive the life of Egyptian royalty, and play Senet, the favorite game of the pharaohs.
Measures 16 inches by 5 inches and includes a pullout storage drawer for the playing pieces
History of Senet
Artifacts of the game were found in Predynastic and First Dynasty burials of Egypt, circa 3500 BC and 3100 BC respectively. By the time of the New Kingdom in Egypt (1567–1085 BC), it had become a kind of talisman for the journey of the dead. Because of the element of luck in the game and the Egyptian belief in determinism, it was believed that a successful player was under the protection of the major gods of the national pantheon such as Ra, Thoth, and Osiris. Consequently, Senet boards were often placed in the grave alongside other useful objects for the dangerous journey through the afterlife. The game is referred to in Chapter XVII of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, a book which details the soul's journey through the perils of the afterlife on the way to the Egyptian heaven. The game was also adopted by other ancient cultures as far away as Cyprus and Crete, but with less religious significance.
Gameplay
The Senet gameboard is a grid of thirty squares, arranged in three rows of ten. A senet game has two sets of pawns (at least five of each and, in some sets, more). Senet is a race game for two players, with moves determined by tosses of throwsticks.
