Senet or senat is a board game from ancient Egypt that consists of ten or more pawns on a 30-square playing board. The earliest representation of senet is dated to c. 2620 BCE from the Mastaba of Hesy-Re, 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 Roman period, and its original rules are the subject of conjecture.
Senet set inscribed with the Horus name of Amenhotep III (r. 1391–1353 BCE)
Senet
Game box with two games: Game of Twenty on top side of the box and Senet at the bottom, c. 1550–1295 BCE
A modern recreation of the senet board game by Cadaco Inc.
Board games are tabletop games that typically use pieces. These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
The board game Monopoly is licensed in 103 countries and printed in 37 languages.
Young girls playing a board game in the Iisalmi library in Finland, 2016
Senet, one of the oldest known board games
Hounds and jackals (Egypt, 13th Dynasty)
