Senet - The oldest game in the world

[Mr. Brightside]

After watching an epidode of LOST last week I became intrigued by the board game they were playing, It was called SENET, This was what I discovered about it and a link to play the game online.

Senet may be the oldest board game in the world. It has been found in Predynastic and First Dynasty burials of Egypt,[2] circa 3500 BC and 3100 BC respectively. Senet is also featured in a painting from the tomb of Merknera (3300–2700 BC) . Another painting of this ancient game is from the Third Dynasty tomb of Hesy (c. 2686–2613 BC). It is also depicted in a painting in the tomb of Rashepes (c. 2500 BC).



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: Ra, Thoth, and sometimes Osiris. Consequently, Senet boards were often placed in the grave alongside other useful objects for the dangerous journey through the afterlife and the game is referred to in Chapter XVII of the Book of the Dead. The game was also adopted in the Levant and as far as Cyprus and Crete but with apparently less religious significance.


So are you under the protection of the gods?

Play Senet online

• How to play Senet
  
  
• Throw the sticks to see how many squares to move your piece forward.
• If you throw a one, four, or six, you get an extra turn.
• You can't land on one of your own pieces.
• If you land on the other player's piece, you switch places with them. However, you can't switch with them if they have two or more pieces in a row.
• If the other player has three or more pieces in a row, you can't pass them.
• Some squares are ‘safe' squares and some are ‘danger' squares. You will learn what they are as you play.
• The first player to get all of their pieces off the board wins the game

[Lion Spirit Walker]

It is wonderful to see this here. A very pleasant surprise,
I use to have a very nice Senet game set that was purchased from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. And I loved playing it at every opportunity. The set was a replica of the one found in the tomb of Tutenakhmon (please pardon my mispelling of the name).
It would truly be wonderful to have another to play the game with, it is very enjoyable.
With regard to it being the oldest 'board' game, I suspect there were many others that came before it. It's simply that we do not have clear records of these older games.
Should you find an online version two people can play, I would most certainly love to join you in the game of the pharaohs.

[Mr. Brightside]

Thats cool Michael, I wouldnt mind getting hold of a real version, Its quite a fun game, I have played it a few times, In the meantime I will keep my eyes open for a two player online version

[BlueStar]

Cool, I didn't realise that was what the game was Sean! Thanks for the info, will check this out

[Lion Spirit Walker]

Very cool Sean. Tyvm.
And Rory it is an excellent game.

[Genesis]

This was the one Jacob and his brother where playing.. interesting. At first i thought you were going to refference backgammon.

[Lion Spirit Walker]

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art 'Egyptian Collection', an image of Nefertiti playing Senet.
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