36:
392:, or some combination of these materials, and the layout of the board was a grid of 30 squares, arranged in three rows of ten. A complete senet game set would have contained a distinct set of pawns for each of the two players. At least by the New Kingdom, these pieces were in the form of hounds or dog-headed figurines. Through most of the game's 2,000-year history, the senet boards themselves would indicate the direction of play, usually from the top left corner and indicated by the decorations on the spaces. The last five squares were often the most decorated on the board. The decorations on the last five squares were unique, usually having a mark related to goodness or an aquatic reference on them.
362:
144:, while similar boards and hieroglyphic signs are found even earlier, including in the Levant in the Early Bronze Age II period. Even though the game has a 2,000-year history in Egypt, there appears to be very little variation in terms of key components. This can be determined by studying the various senet boards that have been found by archaeologists, as well as depictions of senet being played throughout Egyptian history on places like tomb walls and papyrus scrolls. However, the game fell out of use following the
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291:. In this story, Naneferkaptah challenges Setne to a board game, with the winner taking a book he had been looking for as a prize. The game in this story is not explicitly stated; however, similarities such as the religious implications and structure of the game support the idea that it could be senet being depicted.
433:
have made their own reconstructions of the game rules. These rules are based on snippets of texts that span over a thousand years, over which time gameplay is likely to have changed. Therefore, it is unlikely these rules reflect the exact course of ancient
Egyptian gameplay. However, their rules have
315:. However, there have been no actual senet boards that have been dated to the Fourth through Sixth Dynasties, just evidence that they did exist from depictions in tombs. In a painting from the Third Dynasty tomb of Hesy-Re, a senet game is depicted along with other boardgames from this era.
326:, showed the evolution of the game from its secular origins into a more religious artefact. However, the archaeological context of this senet board in question is unknown—it was acquired by the Rosicrucian Museum in London in 1947, and due to poor archaeological practices of the time, the
278:, where the individual who has died plays the game against an invisible opponent. The game of senet is also depicted in a scene depicted on papyrus dating from roughly 1250–1150 BCE that shows a lion and a gazelle playing senet (in the possession of the British Museum).
35:
437:
Various other
Egyptologists have also tried to reconstruct the game; however, these are frequently discredited with more archaeological research/finds regarding the subject.
353:, which dates to the Roman period, and which would be the most concrete evidence that the game was played or did exist to some extent during the Roman period.
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Though some historians argue that senet essentially disappeared after the Romans, there are some examples of senet graffiti on the roof of the Roman
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before Egypt; however, due to Egypt's involvement in the Levant, Egyptian influence could have introduced the game. Senet was also adopted in
1174:
1145:
1096:
1055:
984:
511:
Sebbane, Michael (2001). "Board Games from Canaan in the Early and
Intermediate Bronze Ages and the Origin of the Egyptian Senet Game".
625:"Perancangan Permainan Media Edukasi Sebagai Pembelajaran Cara Melindungi Diri Dalam Menghadapi Bencana Alam Bagi Anak Usia 7–12 Tahun"
1623:
1196:
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409:—represented in the game by the spaces connecting the individual to different stages of their lives. This connection is made in the
413:, which appears in a number of papyri, as well as the appearance of markings of religious significance on senet boards themselves.
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182:
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Crist, Walter; et al. (2016). "Facilitating
Interaction: Board Games as Social Lubricants in the Ancient Near East".
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136:
that consists of ten or more pawns on a 30-square playing board. The earliest representation of senet is dated to
1322:
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Although details of the original game rules are a subject of some conjecture, historians
Timothy Kendall and
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377:
Due to the game falling out of use during the Roman period, the exact detailed rules of play are not known.
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is also referenced in the Roman-era
Egyptian literary work that has been given the title in modern times of
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The
Historical Development of the Game of Senet and its Significance for Ancient Egyptian Religion
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Passing
Through the Netherworld: The meaning and play of Senet, an ancient Egyptian funerary game
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Piccione, Peter A. (2007). "The
Egyptian Game of Senet and the Migration of the Soul". In
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around the end of the third millennium BCE and continued until at least the Bronze Age.
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The path of pieces through the 30 squares of the Senet board, as numbered by
Piccione
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2686–2613 BCE). People are depicted playing senet in a painting in the tomb of the
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1254:"Why did ancient Egypt spend 3000 years playing a game nobody else liked?"
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3100 BCE. The first unequivocal painting of this ancient game is from the
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The senet board itself was usually constructed out of wood, ivory,
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Senet is depicted in ancient texts, including in Chapter 17 of the
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in Egypt (1550–1077 BCE), the game reflected the concept of the
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Some historians believe that senet could have originated in the
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as well as from other tombs of the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties (
104:
477:– a Middle Eastern game that is sometimes confused with senet
204:
721:(PhD (unpublished) thesis). Chicago: University of Chicago.
425:
A modern recreation of the senet board game by Cadaco Inc.
223:
Fragmentary boards that could be senet have been found in
1140:. Translated by Guttmann, Allen. Yale University Press.
623:
Wijoyono, Metha Melissa; Raditya, Alvin (10 July 2014).
148:, and its original rules are the subject of conjecture.
449:– son of Ramses II, inspiration for the fictional Setne
255:
2500 BCE). There are depictions of individuals such as
1005:"Board Games in Ancient Fiction: Egypt, Iran, Greece"
977:
Ancient Egyptians at Play: Board games across borders
167:
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70:
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330:at this point appears to not have been recorded.
1050:. London: British Museum Press. pp. 54–63.
608:. Canada: University of Waterloo. Archived from
369:on top side of the box and Senet at the bottom,
887:"Passing from the Middle to the New Kingdom: A
267:) playing senet in tomb art as well during the
1083:. Vol. I (Revised ed.). London, UK:
434:been adopted by sellers of modern senet sets.
1283:
1079:Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations
8:
971:Crist, Walter; Dunn-Vaturi, Anne-Elizabeth;
120:
28:
648:"The Best Board Games of the Ancient World"
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299:The oldest intact senet boards date to the
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891:Board in the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum"
506:
504:
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1264:Senet compared with the Royal Game of Ur
979:. New York: Bloomsbury. pp. 41–80.
1155:Grunfeld, Frederic V. (1975). "Senat".
1003:Konstantakos, Ioannis M. (April 2022).
560:Piccione, Peter P. (July–August 1980).
486:
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311:monuments could date as early as the
7:
1191:. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
1117:. The Knapp Press. pp. 82–83.
895:The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology
602:"In search of the meaning of Senet"
566:Archaeological Institute of America
562:"In Search of the Meaning of Senet"
212:Painting in tomb of Egyptian queen
1046:Ancient Board Games in Perspective
295:Senet in the archaeological record
14:
1189:The Oxford History of Board Games
1136:Sports and Games of Ancient Egypt
998:. Belmont, MA: Kirk Game Company.
646:Solly, Meilan (6 February 2020).
1361:
318:A study on a senet board in the
461:– another ancient Egyptian game
50:
1413:Long Nardy (Narde, Long Nardi)
1:
857:Oxford Journal of Archaeology
707:Konstantakos 2022 pp. 461-462
468:
467:– a Mesopotamian game played
455:– ancient Egyptian board game
370:
252:
240:
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137:
128:, 'passing, afternoon') is a
40:Senet set inscribed with the
942:"Debunking the Diffusion of
105:
1163:Holt, Rinehart, and Winston
717:Piccione, Peter A. (1990).
525:10.1179/tav.2001.2001.2.213
322:, dating back to the early
320:Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
152:Evidence of senet over time
16:Ancient Egyptian board game
1662:
1439:Games of contrary movement
1371:Games of parallel movement
1009:Board Game Studies Journal
950:Board Game Studies Journal
288:Setne Khamwas and Si-Osire
235:tomb of the high official
121:
94:
20:
1597:
1359:
1238:"Variations in the rules"
1132:Decker, Wolfgang (1992).
994:Kendall, Timothy (1978).
803:Konstantakos 2022 pp. 461
698:Konstantakos 2022 pp. 461
689:Konstantakos 2022 pp. 460
680:Konstantakos 2022 pp. 262
365:Game box with two games:
203:
199:
166:
33:
1624:Ancient Egyptian culture
1091:(1979). pp. 26–28.
908:10.1177/0307513319896288
1644:Historical tables games
1629:Traditional board games
1085:Oxford University Press
829:Soubeyrand, Catherine.
116:'passing'; cf.
1619:History of board games
1536:Games without movement
1089:Dover Publications Inc
940:Crist, Walter (2021).
885:Crist, Walter (2019).
740:Crist 2019 pp. 107-108
426:
385:
374:
209:
23:Senet (disambiguation)
1398:Jacquet de Versailles
1022:10.2478/bgs-2022-0016
963:10.2478/bgs-2021-0002
612:on 18 September 2008.
424:
417:Modern interpretation
383:
364:
281:A game that could be
208:
1425:(Turkish backgammon)
1223:"Review of versions"
785:Piccione 2007 pp. 54
590:Piccione 2007 pp. 54
405:passing through the
324:New Kingdom of Egypt
21:For other uses, see
1639:Egyptian inventions
1579:Tables (historical)
1323:Duodecim Scriptorum
1233:Rules speculation.
831:"The Game of Senet"
629:Jurnal DKV Adiwarna
600:Piccione, Peter A.
30:
1528:(Greek backgammon)
1158:Games of the World
1113:The Boardgame Book
869:10.1111/ojoa.12084
580:– via JSTOR.
453:Hounds and Jackals
427:
386:
375:
303:, but graffiti on
227:burials in Egypt,
210:
142:Mastaba of Hesy-Re
140:2620 BCE from the
1606:
1605:
1176:978-0-03-015261-0
1147:978-0-300-04463-8
1109:(1979). "Senat".
1098:978-0-671-06030-5
1057:978-0-7141-1153-7
986:978-1-4742-2117-7
819:Crist 2019 pp.108
794:Crist 2019 pp.107
773:Crist 2021 pp. 17
764:Crist 2021 pp. 16
752:Crist 2019 pp.109
731:Crist 2019 pp.108
671:Crist 2019 pp.108
631:(in Indonesian).
545:Crist 2021 pp. 15
496:Crist 2019 pp.107
351:Temple of Dendera
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1584:Terminology
1558:Ofanfelling
1496:Tourne case
1446:Acey-deucey
1306:Forerunners
1165:. pp.
1107:Bell, R. C.
1073:Bell, R. C.
835:GameCabinet
397:New Kingdom
313:Old Kingdom
269:New Kingdom
265:Ramesses II
257:Tutankhamun
195:("passing")
161:hieroglyphs
1613:Categories
1589:Backgammon
1567:Categories
1466:Irish game
1451:Backgammon
840:25 October
657:14 January
482:References
447:Khaemweset
431:R. C. Bell
328:provenance
130:board game
65:Board game
42:Horus name
1506:Ssangryuk
1418:Moultezim
1259:Eurogamer
1075:(1979) .
1031:248384865
956:: 13–27.
933:213815875
917:0307-5133
879:Citations
533:162219908
263:(wife of
261:Nefertari
249:Rashepses
214:Nefertari
159:Senet in
100:romanized
1600:Glossary
1553:Doublets
1511:Sugoroku
1501:Trictrac
1491:Ticktack
1429:Verquere
1388:Gul bara
1246:. Senet.
1231:. Senet.
1187:(1999).
1087:(1960);
975:(2016).
925:26949436
635:(4): 12.
578:41726340
513:Tel Aviv
471:3000 BCE
441:See also
357:Gameplay
95:𓊃𓈖𓏏𓏠
1481:Plakoto
1471:Lourche
1393:Jacquet
1333:Knossos
1318:Grammai
1042:(ed.).
390:faience
247:vizier
114:
102::
71:Players
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1548:Doblet
1486:Portes
1423:Tawula
1408:Laquet
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126:/sinə/
118:Coptic
61:Genres
1526:Tavli
1521:Tavla
1461:Gioul
1403:Kotra
1383:Fevga
1348:Senet
1213:Senet
1167:53–55
1027:S2CID
944:Senet
929:S2CID
921:JSTOR
889:Senet
574:JSTOR
529:S2CID
459:Mehen
305:Fifth
283:senet
132:from
87:senat
83:Senet
29:Senet
1516:Tapa
1338:Nard
1193:ISBN
1171:ISBN
1142:ISBN
1119:ISBN
1093:ISBN
1052:ISBN
981:ISBN
913:ISSN
842:2014
659:2023
407:duat
307:and
259:and
237:Hesy
122:ⲥⲓⲛⲉ
112:lit.
1215:at
1017:doi
958:doi
903:doi
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521:doi
475:Tâb
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