Senet

Senet

Senet (or senat [ [http://www.ccgs.com/games/index.htm A history of board games] ] ), a board game from predynastic and ancient Egypt, is the oldest board game whose ancient existence has been confirmed, dating to "circa" 3500 BC. [http://www.gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/Archives/Piccione/index.html In Search of the Meaning of Senet] by Peter A. Piccione] The full name of the game in Egyptian was "sn.t n.t H'b" meaning the "passing game."

History

Senet may be the oldest board game in the world, although it is impossible to prove which game is the oldest. The oldest remnants of any ancient board game ever unearthed are those of senet, found in Predynastic and First Dynasty burials of Egypt, circa 3500 BC and 3100 BC respectively. Senet is also featured in a painting from the tomb of Merknera (3300–2700 BC) (see external links below). 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.

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 was apparently a race game for two players, with moves determined by tosses of throwstick or, sometimes, knucklebone.

The actual rules of the game are a topic of some debate, although historians have made educated guesses. Timothy Kendall and R.C. Bell are two senet historians who have proposed (different) sets of rules to play the game. These rules have been adopted by different companies which make Senet sets for sale today.

References

ee also

*Mehen, another ancient Egyptian game.
*Hounds and Jackals, another ancient Egyptian game.
*Tâb, a middle eastern game with a similar board.
*Patolli

External links

* [http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/life/activity/act_main.html Play a version of Senet online at the British Museum]
* [http://www.clevelandart.org/kids/egypt/senet.html Play a version of Senet online at the Cleveland Museum of Art]
* [http://www.egiptologia.com/content/view/183/59/ Play another variant version of Senet online]
* [http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/games.htm Egyptians games]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Senet — Senet in Hieroglyphen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • senet — SENÉT s.n. v. sinet. Trimis de LauraGellner, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98 …   Dicționar Român

  • Senet — Surtout porté dans le Pas de Calais et dans l Aisne, pourrait être un diminutif de Senard ou une variante graphique de Sené (voir ces noms) …   Noms de famille

  • senet — sènet m <G mn sȅnētā> DEFINICIJA reg. pov. dokument kojim se predočuju neki podaci; isprava ETIMOLOGIJA tur. ← arap. sänäd …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Senet — El Senet es un juego de mesa originado en el Antiguo Egipto y muy famoso en esa época. Es uno de los juegos de mesa más antiguos que se conocen junto con el oware (también llamado Wari entre otros muchos nombres dependiendo del lugar) o el Juego… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Senet — Néfertari jouant au senet. Peinture dans la tombe de la reine …   Wikipédia en Français

  • senet — is., di, tic., Ar. sened 1) Bir kimsenin yapmaya veya ödemeye borçlu olduğu şeyi göstermek için imzaladığı resmî kâğıt, belgit Bu zarflar hisse senedi dolu idi. F. R. Atay 2) esk. Dayanılan veya dayanılacak olan şey Birleşik Sözler senet sepet… …   Çağatay Osmanlı Sözlük

  • Senet — El Senet es un juego de mesa originado en el Antiguo Egipto y muy famoso en esa época. Este juego guarda ciertas similitudes con el backgammon, por lo que se cree que el Senet puede ser un antecesor de éste último. Consta de un tablero de 3 filas …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • senet — se|net adj., senede; senet kød; en senet krop …   Dansk ordbog

  • Senet de Barrabés — Senet Senet de Barrabés Vista general de Senet …   Wikipedia Español

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