THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GAME OF SENET

What is senet?

Senet was a popular ancient board game played by many different cultures.  It has been found in the form of graffiti drawn on a wall; in the form of a slab; or as a box with draws, in which the playing  pieces and dice or throwing sticks are kept. The board and playing  pieces can be made of wood, faience or clay. 

The playing board is rectangular shaped and consists of 30 squares, arranged in three rows of 10 squares each.  Typically Five squares are marked with special symbols. These are

  

 

 

               

The dice, or throwing sticks were made of wood, stone, faience or knuckle bones.  The playing pieces were made of faience, stone or wood. Sometimes these pieces would be moulded or carved and have the head of an animal, human or a demon. There were typically  ten playing  pieces; five for each player.  Although sometimes each player would have seven playing  pieces.  These  varied in appearance and each player had a set that looked distinctly different from their opponents.  

 

 How the Game is Played?

Two people played against each other.  The pieces were moved along  the board by throwing a dice or throwing sticks that would depict the number of squares the piece was to be moved.  At the beginning of the game all the pieces are lined up on the first row.  During the game the pieces move down the first row, up the second and down the third.  The objective of the game is to get all your pieces off the board first. 

Although the rules of senet were not written down scholars have guessed at how it was played by the many pictures showing the game being played.  Some of the rules are as follows (where one player had piece A and the other player had piece B)

 if A lands on a square where B is, A stays on that square while B moves to the square where  A came from.

 Some of the squares have symbols which protect the player’s piece.  While on these protected squares a piece can not be taken by an opponent’s piece.

 A can jump over B or B can jump over A

 If there are two A’s, lined up one after the other, B can not take either A.

B can jump over two A’s lined up one after the other.

If 3 A’s are lined up one after the other this creates a wall which B can not jump over or pass.

The wall can be placed horizontally or vertically across the board.

No piece can leave the board until all the pieces are off the first row.

If 2 or 3 are thrown with the dice the player moves their piece and the dice is given to the opponent.  If 1,4, or 6 is thrown then the player keeps the dice until they throw a 2 or 3.  If 5 is thrown it is ignored.

If a piece lands on the waters of chaos it returns to the house of rebirth.

You must throw the exact number to get off the board.

 The game can be played strategically to block the other player or in a simpler non-strategic fashion.   

 

 When and where?  History of senet

Senet is known to have existed in fourth millennia, pre-Dynastic Egypt  and appears to be the most popular game played.  It is shown in reliefs and paintings  on tomb walls; listed amongst offerings to the dead; and found as part of the funerary items in tombs.  In this way senet is found more often than any other board game in Ancient Egypt.

The oldest known representation of Senet is a painting  in the tomb of Hesy, dated 2686 BCE.  It was played through-out the history of Egypt up until 300 AD.  With the advent of the Christian era it was seen as associated with pagan beliefs and so, it’s popularity waned.

Senet was not only played in Ancient Egypt but was also played in Cyprus, Crete and Greece; and areas of the Middle East.  In fact, a form of senet is still played today in parts of the Middle East.

 

Who played senet?

All classes of Ancient Egyptian society played senet, from the common labourer, who no doubt drew the graffiti versions found on walls, right up to the Pharaoh himself.  In the tomb of Tutankhamun, New Kingdom, four beautifully crafted wooden senet boards were found with their accompanying playing pieces and throwing sticks. 

In the fifth Dynasty the game is depicted  on tomb walls with two living people playing, while the deceased tomb owner stands nearby watching.  Later, in the sixth Dynasty, the game is shown being played between a living person and the deceased.  In other depictions the game is shown with only one person playing it. 

 

 

Why did people play senet?

Senet was always played from its very inception to its demise as a game of entertainment and relaxation. However, early on in its history the playing of the game began to take on religious and mystical connotations.

As already mention, in the sixth Dynasty the deceased was depicted playing a game of senet with a living person.  In this way it is understood that Senet was used as a form of communication between the living and the dead.  Many senet boards were found around and inside tombs were family and friends would visit the tomb and  play the game to communicate with the departed soul.

Playing the game of senet is mentioned in the coffin texts and the book of the dead.  Both of these provide spells and instructions for the soul to travel safely through the underworld known as Am Duat.  It is from these hieroglyphic texts as well as depictions of the game on the tomb walls that we can see the more religious and mystical connotations of the game. 

Playing the game also represented the journey of the ba to and from the tomb.  The Ancient Egyptians believed that the personality of the dead manifested as a bird with a human head; this was called the ba.  At sunrise the ba would leave the tomb and join with the sun God Re to travel in his solar barge across the sky. When the sun reached the west at sunset the ba had to return to the tomb.  Failure to return meant spiritual death to the deceased.  It was believed Re had many enemies who would attempt to destroy the ba on its journey to and from Re.  In depictions were people are seen playing alone it is understood that they  are either playing with their own soul; a spirit that sought to destroy the ba; or with the deceased. By winning the game they ensured the safe journey of their own ba.

 

It was also believed that the soul of the dead would unit with Re as he travelled in his solar barge through the sky and then through the underworld and by this gain eternal life.  In this way  another purpose for playing the game was the belief that the player could unit with the Re.  This not only applied to the dead but also to the living and would ensure eternal life for both the living and the dead.

In the New Kingdom a hieroglyphic text called The Great Game appeared along with senet boards that had all thirty squares depicting symbols of Gods or religious concepts.  The Great Game text depicted the journey of the God Re as the journey of the playing  pieces across the game board.  In this text and using these elaborate boards it is understood that the player symbolically made the journey through the underworld.  On winning the game it was believed the player had successfully navigated the many dangers of the underworld and would then be able at death to travel easily through Am duat.  

 

There is also some indication that senet was played in the temples of various Gods and was used as part of a priests induction into the priesthood.  However, little is known about the secretive ceremony of priestly induction and so what exactly happened may not have been written down, or at least had not been discovered at this time.