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The 'Senet' Game Board
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| Egyptian Senet Game Board |
Gaming with the gods
Peter
A. Piccione, Ph.D.
"...Importantly, in the minds of the
Egyptians, the senet gaming ritual could be performed by both the living and the dead. Through this senet ritual, the player
was able to effect a successful passage through the netherworld to achieve spiritual renewal and union with the sun-god, Ra,
in this world and the next. Here senet functioned specifically in the solar cycle of spiritual renewal and resurrection through
identification with the sun god. The dead could perform this ritual as a magical act to protect themselves on the netherworld
journey and ensure union with Ra. The living person could perform this ritual probably to ensure a safe passage after he ultimately
died. However, he also performed it to experience the netherworld journey without having to die first, in order to unite with
Ra while still alive and achieve a living apotheosis with the creator-god. Thus, the senet gaming ritual was a mystical
rite for the ancient Egyptians. The text of the ritual also intimates that rites of initiation were associated with the senet
process, the exact nature of which is unclear. However, in general, rites of religious initiation in ancient Egypt were quite
mystical with the purpose of uniting--at least temporarily--the living initiate with the divine... "
The Rules
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.
>>> You can try the Game online >>>
If you like to order, please visit the Egyptian amulets page
The Game of Mehen
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| Mehen Game Board |
Mehen the Snake God
He defends the solar bargue of the sun-god during
his nightly passage through the underworldHe defends the solar bargue of the sun-god during his nightly passage through the
underworld.
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Mehen is the only multi-player ancient
Egyptian board game known, the others (Senet, Aseb, Hounds & Jackals, etc.) being all two-player games. The main function
of the serpent-shaped Egyptian god Mehen was to protect the sun-god Ra from his enemies by coiling around him. In the Old
Kingdom, the race-game Mehen took the name and shape of the god: a coiled serpent with the gaming spaces on its back. As “bodyguard”,
Mehen symbolises the sun-god’s immediate neighbourhood
for the deceased. The deceased walks towards Ra on the back of the serpent-god.
*******
The playing pieces, tiny lions and small
balls or discs, were moved from the tail of the snake to the goal on its head. This game was played in Egypt only during the
Old Kingdom. The exact rules are unknown but it
is thought that up to six players can play, each player
competing with the other to be the first to move their piece from the tail of the snake, which is often shaped to resemble the head of some bird, to the head of the snake.
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| Mehen Gameboard - pawns |
Egyptian Aseb
or Twenty Squares Game Board
" Aseb, 'Twenty
Squares game' (frequently misidentified as Tjau, The game of Thieves' or 'The Game of Robbers') was played from 3000 B.C.
until 400 A.D. and is one of the oldest known games. Aseb is an example of a game that seems to have ;invaded' Egypt from
the outside and is certainly closely related to the Sumerian 'Royal Game of Ur' (and possible Cretan relative known as the
Knossos Game): it is believed to have been brought to Egypt from Mesopotamia by the Hyksos. This is an excellent game, enjoyable
and interesting to play. It was frequently put on the back side of the Senet boards, and eventually combined boards were created.
"by Danial U. Thiboult
Jiroft - The Eagle Game board
About Jiroft culture at the Penn Museum
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| Jiroft-Eagle Gameboard |
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| Jiroft game board dices |
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| Jiroft game board 2 |
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| Jiroft Game Board pawns |
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The so called 'Jiroft' game board is one of several with a similar layout. The
board has Twenty round (squares) Five (round)squares, each have flower rosettes, 'eyes'.
Boards found in Egypt named - "Game of Twenty Squares" or Aseb - was played, presumably in a similar
fashion. The pattern or layout of the game is similar to the "Royal Game of Ur" and the "Jiroft" Board Game. So, the rules of the 'Jiroft' game are the following .
This is a race game between 2 players. You have to move through 12 'holes' of the eagle figure
with your 6 pawns. On the Eagle board there are 3, flower patterned place, which are safe. On other places, your opposite can remove your pawn. On the flower patterned places you can throw again and you can move with
any pieces of yours. If you can`t move with any of your pieces than opposite will come again. You
have four triangular dices. When you throw them, you have to count the white points on the top of them, but if there is no
points, you have to staying out one round. The target of the game is to leave the board with all of the pieces. The winner of the game is the person who moves out off the Game board first.
The
material of this board is faience.
The measure is : 23 x 16 cm
Accessories: 2x6 pawns and 4 "triangular" dices, black velvet case.
price 84 $ Temporarily not available, sorry !!!
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One for Nathaniel!! otherwise Temporarily not available, sorry! |
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