Ancient Egyptians at Play: Board Games Across Borders (Bloomsbury Egyptology)

The rich history of Egypt has provided famous examples of board games played in antiquity. Each of these games provides evidence of contact between Egypt and its neighbours. From pre-dynastic rule to Arab and Ottoman invasions, Egypt's past is visible on game boards. This volume starts by introducing the reader to board games as well as instruments of chance and goes on to trace the history and distribution of ancient Egyptian games, looking particularly at how they show contact with other cultures and civilizations. Game practices, which were also part of Egyptian rituals and divination, travelled throughout the eastern Mediterranean. This book explores the role of Egypt in accepting and disseminating games during its long history. Over the last few years, the extent and the modes of contact have become better understood through museum and archival research projects as well as surveys of archaeological sites in Egypt and its surrounding regions. The results allow new insight into ancient Egypt's international relations and the role of board games research in understanding its extent. Written by three authors known internationally for their expertise on this topic, this will be the first volume on Ancient Egyptian games of its kind and a much-needed contribution to the field of both Egyptology and board games studies. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Illustrations Acknowledgments Egyptian Chronology 1 Ancient Egyptians at Play: An Introduction A range of casting devices Board games across borders: Identifying Egyptian games 2 Mehen and Men: Th e First Signs of Egyptian Board Games Mehen : The game of the coiled serpent Mehen boards Mehen pieces Rules of mehen Pictorial evidence Textual evidence Archaeological evidence and social context The demise of mehen in Egypt Mehen in Nubia Mehen in the Levant and Mesopotamia Mehen in Cyprus and the Aegean Men Two rows of thirteen and forty-two and pool 3 Senet across Borders Early evidence for senet Old Kingdom: Ritual use and graffiti Middle Kingdom: Changes and consistency New Kingdom: Religious meaning Later history of senet Playing pieces Senet in Nubia Senet in the Levant Senet in Cyprus The game of thirty-three 4 The Game of Twenty: A Foreign Acquisition Origins and chronological distribution Beni Hasan playing scenes Ancient names Boards for the game of twenty Special squares and decorations Archaeological contexts Rules for the game of twenty “Uniting of the twenty squares” or thirty-one The Levant and Cyprus: Games as heirlooms 5 The Game of Hounds and Jackals: From Thebes to Susa Boards for hounds and jackals Gaming pegs Beni Hasan playing scenes The game outside of Egypt Reconstructed rules Symbolism of the game The Coptic board game 6 Roman Board Games Crossing the Borders of Egypt The sources The game of five lines or πέντε γραμμαί Duodecim scripta or ludus duodecim scriptorum Latrunculi or ludus latrunculorum Merels or mill game Marbles Remaining configurations The borders of Egypt 7 Arab and Ottoman Invaders Scratching the Surface Graffiti games Seeja or siga Seeja playing rules Tâb Mancala 8 The Role of Board Games in Understanding Antiquity Spread of board games Religiosity of board games Site use Unidentified board games and new approaches References Author Index Subject Index Ancient Egyptians at play : an introduction -- Mehen and men : the first signs of Egyptian board games -- Senet across borders -- The game of twenty : a foreign acquisition -- The game of hounds and jackals : from Thebes to Susa -- Roman board games crossing the borders of Egypt -- Arab and Ottoman invaders scratching the surface -- The role of board games in understanding the ancient world