Watch: Ancient Egyptian games
Child: Life looked tough in Ancient Egypt.
It doesn’t look like they had much time for fun.
What’s this?
‘Senet’, a board game dating from around 3000BC.
Ancient Egyptian person: Can I help you?
Child: Oh, hello!
Ancient Egyptian person: Do you play?
Child: Play? Oh no, I’ve never tried.
Ancient Egyptian person: Shame, it’s good.
I hear the last pharaoh was even buried with his favourite Senet boards!
It’s not surprising really.
The game shows the journey into the afterlife.
Child: What about this snake one?
Ancient Egyptian person: You mean ‘Mehen’? It’s named after a god in the form of a snake.
Oh yes! That’s very popular.
Though I’m not keen on snakes myself.
Child: I like this one.
Ancient Egyptian person: ‘Hounds and Jackals’! Do you know, I always forget the rules to that one!
Child: Hmmm…
Ancient Egyptian person: We have toys too, like this cute little horse, and this doll!
Child: I’m too old for dolls!
Ancient Egyptian person: Maybe you’re after something a bit more physical?
I’ve got juggling balls, a hand ball, and even bows and arrows!
Child: Hmm… I think I’d like to play this one.
Ancient Egyptian person: Ahh, ‘Aseb’! Yes, this is my favourite.
I can show you how to play if you like.
I should warn you, I am one of the best players around.
Child: Ok then. I’ll give it a go.
Ancient Egyptian person: Well, you need to throw this dice and you need a four…
Child: Yay! I win!
Ancient Egyptian person: Ok… Ok… best of three!
Boards, dice and pieces
Take a look at some ancient Egyptian game pieces.
- Image source, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Image caption, The ancient Egyptians played Aseb on one side of this box and Senet on the other side. Look closely at the picture and you can see some knuckle bones. The ancient Egyptians would use these as dice.
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What was the Mehen game?
Image source, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- The gameboard was a coiled snake split into rectangular spaces.
- The game was played with lion shaped pieces and small marbles or balls.
Activities
Activity 1: Explore Ancient Egyptian games
Click on the market stall to learn about four Ancient Egyptian games.
Games included ‘Senet’, ‘Hounds and Jackals’ ‘Aseb’ and ‘Mehen’.
Activity 2: Name the game
Solve the riddle and type the correct game name.
Activity 3: Quiz – Ancient Egyptian games
Activity 4: Make your own Mehen board
Make your own Mehen board. document
Download our ancient Egyptian Mehen board game and play the game yourself!
Activity 5: History Explorer game
Play this game to test your knowledge and learn even more facts about Ancient Egypt.
History Explorer: Secrets through time
History Explorer: Secrets through time: KS2 History
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