Senet is a grid game for two players and is thought to be the oldest board game in the world. In which country did it originate?
"game is from the Third Dynasty tomb of Hesy (c. 2686–2613 BC). People are depicted playing senet in a painting in the tomb of Rashepes, as well as from other tombs of the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties (c. 2500 BC). The oldest intact senet boards date to the Middle Kingdom, but graffiti on Fifth and Sixth Dynasty monuments could date as early as the Old Kingdom. At least by the time of the New Kingdom in Egypt (1550–1077 BC), senet was conceived as a representation of the journey of the ka (the vital spark) to the afterlife. This connection is"
"the oldest known board games is Senet, a game played in Ancient Egypt, enjoyed by the pharaoh Tutankhamun. Card games, such as whist, poker and Bridge have long been played as evening entertainment among friends. For these games, all that is needed is a deck of playing cards. Other games, such as bingo, played with numerous strangers, have been organised to involve the participation of non-players via gambling. Many are geared for children, and can be played outdoors, including hopscotch, hide and seek, or Blind man's bluff. The list of ball games is quite extensive. It includes, for example, croquet,"
"Byzantine game Tabula is a descendant of the game of twelve points. Among the earliest examples of a board game is ""senet"", a game found in Predynastic and First Dynasty burial sites in Egypt (circa 3500 BCE and 3100 BCE, respectively) and in hieroglyphs dating to around 3100 BCE. The game was played by moving draughtsmen on a board of 30 squares arranged into three parallel rows of ten squares each. The players strategically moved their pieces based on the throw of sticks or bones. The goal was to reach the edge of the board first. Senet slowly evolved over"
"side of the same stone as senet, and those from Sotira ""Kaminoudhia"", dating to approximately 2250 BCE, are the oldest surviving double-sided boards known. Mehen survived in Cyprus longer than in Egypt, showing that the game was indigenized upon its adoption into the island's culture. The rules and gameplay of Mehen are entirely unknown. In Egypt, the gameboard depicts a coiled snake whose body is divided into rectangular spaces. Several boards have been found with different numbers of segments, without distinguishing marks or ornamentation. In Cyprus and the Levant, the games take the form of a spiral of depressions, sometimes"
"and it is uncertain where they originated. The oldest known dice were excavated as part of a backgammon-like game set at the Burnt City, an archeological site in south-eastern Iran, estimated to be from between 2800–2500 BC. Other excavations from ancient tombs in the Indus Valley civilization indicate a South Asian origin. The Egyptian game of Senet was played with dice. Senet was played before 3000 BC and up to the 2nd century AD. It was probably a racing game, but there is no scholarly consensus on the rules of Senet. Dicing is mentioned as an Indian game in the"
"Tables (board game) Tables is a general name given to a class of board games similar to backgammon, played on a board with two rows of 12 vertical markings called ""points"". Players roll dice to determine the movement of pieces. Tables games are among the oldest known board games, and many variants are played throughout the world. The ancient Egyptians played a game called Senet, which belonged to the same family of ""race games"" as modern tables games, with moves controlled by the roll of dice as early as 3500 BC. The Royal Game of Ur, played in ancient Mesopotamia,"
"Chess Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard, a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The game is played by millions of people worldwide. Chess is believed to have originated in India sometime before the 7th century. The game was derived from the Indian game chaturanga, which is also the likely ancestor of the Eastern strategy games xiangqi, janggi, and shogi. Chess reached Europe by the 9th century, due to the Umayyad conquest of Hispania. The pieces assumed their current powers in Spain in the late 15th century; the rules were standardized"
"of Egypt and Sixth Dynasty of Egypt show people playing the game. No scenes or boards date to the Middle Kingdom of Egypt or New Kingdom of Egypt, and so it appears that the game was no longer played in Egypt after the Old Kingdom. It is, however, depicted in tombs of about 700 BCE, because the tomb decorations are copied from Old Kingdom originals. Mehen also appears to have been played outside of Egypt. It appears alongside other boards displaying the game of senet at Bab 'edu Dhra and in Cyprus. In Cyprus, it sometimes appears on the opposite"
"of Ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptian game senet was excavated, along with illustrations, from Egyptian royal tombs dating to 3500 BC. Though using a board that is quite different from backgammon, it may be a predecessor. Backgammon, which is known as ""tavla"", from Byzantine Greek τάβλη, is a very popular game in Turkey, and it is customary to name the dice rolls with their Persian number names, with local spellings: yek (1), dü (2), se (3), cehar (4), penç (5), şeş (6). The usual Tavla rules are same as in the neighboring Arab countries and Greece, as established over a"
"is commonly referred to as ""Western chess"", ""international chess"", ""orthodox chess"", ""orthochess"", and ""classic chess"". Reference aids Lists Chess Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard, a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The game is played by millions of people worldwide. Chess is believed to have originated in India sometime before the 7th century. The game was derived from the Indian game chaturanga, which is also the likely ancestor of the Eastern strategy games xiangqi, janggi, and shogi. Chess reached Europe by the 9th century, due to the Umayyad conquest of"
"made in the Great Game Text, which appears in a number of papyri, as well as the appearance of markings of religious significance on senet boards themselves. The game is also referred to in chapter XVII of the ""Book of the Dead"". Senet also was played by people in neighboring cultures, and it probably came to those places through trade relationships between Egyptians and local peoples. It has been found in the Levant at sites such as Arad and Byblos, as well as in Cyprus. Because of the local practice of making games out of stone, there are more senet"
"known to play on a courtyard of his palace using slaves as playing pieces. The extinct Chinese board game ""liubo"" was invented no later than the middle of the 1st millennium BCE, and was popular during the Warring States period (476 BCE – 221 BCE) and the Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE). Although the game's rules have been lost, it was apparently a race game not unlike Senet in that playing pieces were moved about a board using sticks thrown to determine movement. Go, also known as ""Weiqi"", ""Igo"", or ""Baduk"" (in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, respectively), is"
"Gonnect Gonnect is a strategy board game for two players invented by João Pedro Neto in 2000. The game is played with standard Go equipment (usually on a 13×13 or 15×15 board) and basically uses the same rules as Go, however the goal of the game is to construct a group that connects any two opposite sides. Seen from a superficial point of view, Gonnect belongs to the family of connection games with relatives Hex and Havannah; however, the game mutates into a game of territory (like Go) when played by advanced players. All the rules of Go apply, except"
"Go (game) Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. A 2016 survey by the International Go Federation's 75 member nations found that there are over 46 million people worldwide who know how to play Go and over 20 million current players, the majority of whom live in East Asia. The playing pieces are called ""stones"". One player uses the"
"(except the throne). After all twelve guards have been placed, the game proceeds under normal rules. Eugene Provenzo's ""Favorite Board Games You Can Make and Play"" gives detailed plans for making Agon sets. Versions of Agon are published by Waddingtons Games, House of Marbles and Kruzno. Agon (game) Agon (or Queen's Guard, Queen's Guards, Royal Guards) is a strategy game for two players, played on a 6×6×6 hexagonal gameboard. Agon may be the oldest board game played on a hexagonally-celled board, first appearing in France as early as the late eighteenth century. The game reached its greatest popularity a century"
"dice, there is no known evidence linking the games. Another factor casting doubt on this link is that the latest known classical senet board is over half of a millennium older than the earliest known XII scripta board. Very little information about specific gameplay has survived. The game was played using three cubic dice, and each player had 15 pieces. A possible ""beginners' board"", having spaces marked with letters, has suggested a possible path for the movement of pieces. The earliest known mention of the game is in Ovid's ""Ars Amatoria"" (""The Art of Love"") (written between 1 BC and"
"Mehen (game) Mehen is a board game which was played in ancient Egypt. The game was named in reference to Mehen, a snake deity in ancient Egyptian religion. Evidence of the game of Mehen is found from the Predynastic period dating from approximately 3000 BCE and continues until the end of the Old Kingdom, around 2300 BCE. Aside from physical boards, which mostly date to the Predynastic and Archaic periods, a mehen board also appears in a picture in the tomb of Hesy-Ra, and its name first appears in the tomb of Rahotep. Other scenes dating to the Fifth Dynasty"
"for the afterlife, including any other common 'hobbies' of the deceased–(for example hunting ducks at the marsh using a throwstick). Since board games represent the common man's activities, the Senet game has numerous examples from Ancient Egypt; this also includes the reliefs shown on temple walls, of individuals enjoying their activities in the afterlife. Some example game pieces of Ancient Egypt. One of the more famous games was """"Hounds and Jackals"""", a race game, with far less artefacts found of the game. Senet, with game tokens: Game piece (hieroglyph) The ancient Egyptian Game piece (hieroglyph), also a Token, or the"
"between similarly skilled-opponents generally unfolds in two stages: Gonnect Gonnect is a strategy board game for two players invented by João Pedro Neto in 2000. The game is played with standard Go equipment (usually on a 13×13 or 15×15 board) and basically uses the same rules as Go, however the goal of the game is to construct a group that connects any two opposite sides. Seen from a superficial point of view, Gonnect belongs to the family of connection games with relatives Hex and Havannah; however, the game mutates into a game of territory (like Go) when played by advanced"
"Piquet Piquet (; ) is an early 16th-century trick-taking card game for two players that is still popular today. Piquet is one of the oldest card games still being played. It was first mentioned on a written reference dating to 1535, in ""Gargantua and Pantagruel"" by Rabelais. Although legend attributes the game's creation to Stephen de Vignolles, also known as La Hire, a knight in the service of Charles VII during the Hundred Years' War, it may possibly have come into France from Spain because the words """"pique"""" and """"repique"""", the main features of the game, are of Spanish origin."
"2010 to January 2016. As of August 2018, the board game occupies a fifth spot. Being released in 2005 it is the oldest board game in the overall top 10 ranking. The board is a map of the world, separated into six regions: Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Central America and South America. One player plays as the US and the other, as the USSR. Many countries are marked on the map and are connected by lines indicating their adjacency. The most important countries are marked as 'battleground countries'. There is the 'turn track', denoting the current turn, a"
"set is a generic gaming device, similar to playing cards or dice, in that a variety of games can be played with a set. The earliest mention of dominoes is from Song dynasty China found in the text ""Former Events in Wulin"" by Zhou Mi (1232–1298). Modern dominoes first appeared in Italy during the 18th century, but how Chinese dominoes developed into the modern game is unknown. Italian missionaries in China may have brought the game to Europe. The name ""domino"" is most likely from the resemblance to a kind of carnival costume worn during the Venetian Carnival, often consisting"
"is a ring. This item serves as the player's symbol during the game. Leela (game) Leela is a board game with origins in ancient India. The original game was created by Hindu scholars with the intention of teaching moral values, and was a precursor to the modern game snakes and ladders. The game was designed over two thousand years ago. It is a game of life which provides insight into human consciousness and a key to divine knowledge. One or more are able to play Leela by using the game board and book, a die, and a significant item that"
"players. The earliest precursor of modern chess is a game called chaturanga, which flourished in India by the 6th century, and is the earliest known game to have two essential features found in all later chess variations—different pieces having different powers (which was not the case with checkers and Go), and victory depending on the fate of one piece, the king of modern chess. The original chess board was mathematically revolutionary, as reported by the infamous Wheat and chessboard problem. A common theory is that India’s development of the board, and chess, was likely due to India’s mathematical enlightenment involving"
"In the Ace-Ten family of games such as pinochle and schnapsen, both the ace and the 10 rank higher than the king. The king card is the oldest and most universal court card. It most likely originated in Persian Ganjifeh where kings are depicted as seated on thrones and outranking the viceroy cards which are mounted on horses. Playing cards were transmitted to Italy and Spain via the Mamluks and Moors. The best preserved and most complete deck of Mamluk cards, the Topkapı pack, did not display human figures but just listed their rank most likely due to religious prohibition."
"Agon (game) Agon (or Queen's Guard, Queen's Guards, Royal Guards) is a strategy game for two players, played on a 6×6×6 hexagonal gameboard. Agon may be the oldest board game played on a hexagonally-celled board, first appearing in France as early as the late eighteenth century. The game reached its greatest popularity a century later when the Victorians embraced it for its blend of simple rules and complex strategy. Each player has one ""queen"" and six ""guards"". Players determine who moves first, then turns alternate. On each turn, a player moves one of his pieces. The object of the game"
"from the Kurna temple graffiti in Egypt, as reported by Parker in 1909 and Murray in his ""A History of Board-Games Other Than Chess"". However, accurate dating of this graffiti seems to be unavailable, and what designs have been found by modern scholars generally resemble games common to the Roman world, rather than anything like mandala. Some historians believe that Mancala is the oldest game in the world based on the archaeological evidence found in Jordan that dates around 6000 BCE. The game might have been played by ancient Nabataeans and could have been an ancient version of the modern"
"Leela (game) Leela is a board game with origins in ancient India. The original game was created by Hindu scholars with the intention of teaching moral values, and was a precursor to the modern game snakes and ladders. The game was designed over two thousand years ago. It is a game of life which provides insight into human consciousness and a key to divine knowledge. One or more are able to play Leela by using the game board and book, a die, and a significant item that belongs to the player. One example of an item that can be used"
"also be an ancestor of modern-day table games like backgammon. It used tetrahedral dice. In the modern Middle East, backgammon is a common feature of coffeehouses. Race board games involving dice have a long history in Iraq, including the Royal Game of Ur in Babylon. Today the game is commonly played in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and other Arab countries. In the (modern) Arab Levant and Iraq it is called ""tawle"" which means table, and it is also called ""shesh besh"" (shesh means 6 in Aramaic and Phoenician, but derives from Phoenician). Backgammon is one of the oldest games"
"Game piece (hieroglyph) The ancient Egyptian Game piece (hieroglyph), also a Token, or the general term for any ""gaming-gambling"" piece, Draughtsman is an ancient hieroglyph. Gaming pieces were certainly required in predynastic times, as the cultural creation of games and entertainment has a long history in most cultures. An ivory-piece lion is known from the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt; the set contains three lions, and three dog tokens of ivory. The ""Senet game"" is recorded as the oldest boardgame in history, for which tokens are used. The basic word for 'Game piece' or 'draughtsman' is """"ab"""". By implication, people"
"Cat's cradle Cat's cradle is one of the oldest games in recorded human history, and involves creating various string figures, either individually or by passing a loop of string back and forth between two or more players. The true origin of the name is debated, though the first known reference is in ""The light of nature pursued"" by Abraham Tucker in 1768. The type of string, the specific figures, their order, and the names of the figures vary. Independent versions of this game have been found in indigenous cultures throughout the world, including in Africa, Eastern Asia, the Pacific Islands,"
"tablet of Itti-Marduk-balālu, whenever a player skips one of the boxes marked with a rosette, he or she must place a token in the pot. If a player lands on a rosette, he or she may take a token from the pot. Royal Game of Ur The Royal Game of Ur, also known as the Game of Twenty Squares or simply the Game of Ur, is a two-player strategy race board game that was first played in ancient Mesopotamia during the early third millennium BC. The game was popular across the Middle East among people of all social strata and"
"Hex (board game) Hex is a strategy board game for two players played on a hexagonal grid, theoretically of any size and several possible shapes, but traditionally as an 11×11 rhombus. Players alternate placing markers or stones on unoccupied spaces in an attempt to link their opposite sides of the board in an unbroken chain. One player must win; there are no draws. The game has deep strategy, sharp tactics and a profound mathematical underpinning related to the Brouwer fixed-point theorem. It was invented in the 1940s independently by two mathematicians, Piet Hein and John Nash. The game was first"