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Senet Online
Senet, which originates from Egypt in North Africa, is considered to be one of the world's oldest known board games, and offers a fascinating glimpse into the daily life and profound spiritual beliefs of ancient Egyptians. More than just a pastime, this intriguing game held deep significance, intertwining recreation with a symbolic journey through the afterlife. It is believed the aim of Senet (meaning 'passing') is to be blessed by the gods and transition into the afterlife, symbolically represented in Senet by removing all of the player's pieces from the board.
Evidence of Senet dates back over 5,000 years, with the earliest depictions found in tombs from the First Dynasty of Egypt (around 3100 BCE). | |
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Its enduring popularity is underscored by the numerous boards and playing pieces discovered in various archaeological sites, ranging from humble dwellings to the opulent tombs of pharaohs like Tutankhamun. Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramesses II, even had a magnificent Senet board painted onto the walls of her tomb, highlighting its cultural importance across all social strata. Coins were used as playing pieces although the poor tended to use small pebbles.
The Senet board typically consisted of a grid of thirty squares, each called 'houses', arranged in three rows of ten. Each player typically had a set of five to seven pieces (pawns), distinguished by their shape or colour. Movement across the board was determined by the throw of four two-sided throw sticks or knucklebones, which functioned much like dice, indicating how many squares a player could advance. Although dice are believed to have been invented by 3100BCE when Senet is first recorded, the number of thrown Senet sticks, as they are known, landing with the black side facing up determines the equivalent number on a dice.
What truly distinguishes Senet from many other ancient games is its deep spiritual connotation. Over time, particularly during the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1077 BCE), Senet evolved into more than just entertainment. It became a symbolic representation of the deceased's perilous journey through the Duat (the Egyptian underworld) towards the afterlife. Each move, each challenge, and each successful passage across the board mirrored the soul's trials and triumphs on its way to eternal existence with the gods. Winning the game was often seen as a favourable omen for the deceased's passage, ensuring their successful resurrection and union with Osiris.
While the precise rules of play have been lost to time, modern scholars and enthusiasts have reconstructed plausible gameplay based on textual references, board markings, and comparisons with later board games. They concluded the game likely involved racing one's pieces across the board while blocking or capturing an opponent's pawns. Certain squares on the board were often marked with hieroglyphs, believed to represent special actions or challenges, such as the "House of Rebirth", "House of Happiness", "House of Water" and the "House of Three Truths," adding a layer of complexity and narrative. These can only be left when you a three is thrown while the "House of Re-Atoum" requires a two to leave. |
