Senet: An Ancient Egyptian Board Game
In today's lecture we looked at Senet, otherwise known as the Game of Thirty Squares. According to findings the game was discovered from a painting found in the Tomb of Hesy in 2600 B.C.E.
History of Senet
After doing some research into Senet I found out that it was already being played in Ancient Egypt before 3000 B.C, way before writing was first recorded. The game of Senet is most related to the afterlife. It was said that in Ancient Egypt people mastered Senet to appease Osiris, Guardian of the Underworld. It was said that they must emerge victorious in order to pass through to the Afterlife.
How to play
The game of Senet can be characterized by its rectangular board consisting of rows of 10 squares referred to as "Houses". Each player starts with 7 or 10 pieces, depending on what rules set is being used. Pawns are alternated across the first 14 squares of the board.
Rules
Various people have formulated various versions of the rules by which Senet was played including Timothy Kendall, R.C. Bell, Gustave Jéquier and Edgar Pusch. The main difference in opinion between the rules is how many pieces the game is played with.
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