The Ancient Egyptians were fans of board games. So much so that they were often included in grave goods, to pass the time in the Afterlife. There are four well-known ones: 1. Hounds and jackals 2. Royal Game of Ur 3. Mehen, the snake game 4. Senet, the underworld game Let's learn about them! - ThreadSky

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social • 109 days ago

The Ancient Egyptians were fans of board games. So much so that they were often included in grave goods, to pass the time in the Afterlife.

There are four well-known ones:
1. Hounds and jackals
2. Royal Game of Ur
3. Mehen, the snake game
4. Senet, the underworld game

Let's learn about them!

Comments

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social•109 days ago

1. 'Hounds and jackals' was a race game played on a specialized board containing 58 holes. Each player picked a side (hounds or jackals) and rolled knuckle bones (dice) to move their pieces a certain number of steps.

We think there was a set of holes that scored & the race was to fill them up.

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social•109 days ago

2. Royal Game of Ur has also been called "game of chariots" with certain 'lucky' squares marked with stars that possibly let the player roll again, or gave a point. We're not exactly sure how they played it, but the pieces moved around the board to the roll of dice.

It may be from Mesopotamia.

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social•109 days ago

3. Mehen, the snake game, is at least 3000 yrs old.

It looks like another race game, or possibly chutes and ladders. It may also represent the underworld, because it was associated with funeral events, but we think the goal was to move one's piece to the middle.

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social•109 days ago

4. Senet, the underworld game represented the ka's (soul's) journey through duat (underworld). Another race game with lucky squares.

It's possible that some boards were dual-sided, with the chariot game on the other side. Rules were lost to time, so we just have to speculate or make our own.

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social•109 days ago

You can read more about the Egyptian craze for board games.

Picture it: having a few beers with your friends on a nice patio overlooking the Nile, playing hounds and jackals, watching that bastard Senusret to make sure he doesn't cheat.

Sounds pretty nice right now.

bigjeph.bsky.social•109 days ago

... As long as your patio wasn't next to the pharaoh's "ceremonial" bank of the Nile.

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social•109 days ago

Sorry, you can read more HERE:
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/anbd/hd_anbd.htm

doctor42.bsky.social•109 days ago

I wonder who made the first board game and how it went.

"Hey Bakm, I painted some lines and squares on this board and carved some pieces, so let's play a game!"

"Have you been smoking those weird weeds again, Malak?"

tharfagreinir.bsky.social•109 days ago

This design looks surprisingly modern for a 3500 year old relic.

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social•109 days ago

Here's the description from the museum where it is housed. It had to be assembled from fragments, but it's made from faience, a type of glazed pottery, which I think looks super-cool for this type of object.

beaglebets.bsky.social•108 days ago

i love how there is a little drawer to keep the pieces in.

skipbidder.bsky.social•108 days ago

Wow. That's gorgeous.

I need that.

(I've already got tons of board games that I never play, so one more wouldn't hurt, right?)

c0nc0rdance.bsky.social•108 days ago

jmarotta.bsky.social•109 days ago

Many years ago, in the mid to late 90s, there was a company that was producing replicas of these games. I had copies of Ur and Senet, but even the game instructions said that the rules were a best guess.

sarahkorse.bsky.social•108 days ago

📌

nickysfacts.bsky.social•3 days ago

How did I miss this, this is very interesting thank you for making it!💜

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply