Is senet a game that can be played?
Yes! The concept behind the game is related to the challenges a soul would face on their journey to the afterlife. Scholars believe that living people would also play the game as a form of entertainment just like people today play board games.
Where can I find the playing rules?
Scholars aren't completely sure of the exact rules, but the basics are:
Player would throw a few sticks with marked and unmarked sides. The number of marks facing up determined how many spaces the player would move.
Presumably "normal" spaces would count for one move and the decorated spaces indicated a different scenario related to the type of challenge the space represented.
Is Senet related to Mancala?
Senet is not related to mancala. Mancala actually originates in West Africa.
Senet is more like many of the board games we play today with dice and pieces that much move from space to space through the board (which, in the case of senet, is three rows of ten squares each).
The game is meant to be a representation of the journey to the afterlife. Marked squares indicate monsters and other perils the deceased might face.
Thank you!
Do we know the rules for the game senet?
We don't know the exact rules for Senet, though scholars have a few guesses as to how it was played. We do know that it could have involved throwing sticks, knuckle bones, or teetotums (similar to dreidels) to determine the number of spaces the player would move on the board. The last five spaces on the board are marked to indicate that they are somehow different or special.
Was it played against a person?
Yes! Theoretically it was meant to be played between the deceased and a deity, but it was often played between living opponents.
Is this an Egyptian game?
Yes! It is! This object actually has two sides each with a board for playing the Egyptian games, senet and twenty squares.
Players would play by throwing marked sticks that determine the number of spaces they moved.