Ancient Egypt Senet
Senet was a game played by the pharaohs. Over 40 of these games have been found in the tombs. One was found in King Tut's tomb. This game was played on a game board like the one below. Each player was given 5 game markers. The object of the game is to get each marker from square 1 through square 30 before your opponent does.
| 1 > | 2 > | 3 > | 4 > | 5 > | 6 > | 7 > | 8 > | 9 > | 10 v |
| v 20 | < 19 | < 18 | < 17 | < 16 | < 15 | < 14 | < 13 | < 12 | < 11 |
| 21 > | 22 > | 23 > | 24 > | 25 > | 26 > | 27 > | 28 > | 29 > | 30 |
The game uses four sticks as dice. Each stick was flat on one side. You toss the sticks. You may move one of your 5 markers the number of spaces according to how many flat sides of the sticks point up. You try to land on your opponent. This sends his piece back to the beginning. (like in the game Sorry). Five spaces on the board have symbols. They mean:
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bird - all pieces stop on this square, no matter what you roll
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three waving lines - if you land here you must move back to the ankh
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three circles - if you land here you must roll exactly 3 to leave
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eye of Horus - if you land here you must roll exactly 2 to leave
Make your own game board and enjoy playing the game Senet.
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