@The History of Sugoroku

¡Tutankhamun and Senet

Tutankhamun, a young king of the 18th Egyptian dynasty, is said to have died at age of 18 whose tomb was discovered by a Briton named Howard Cater in 1922.

There were 4 game boards in the possessions buried with him. The largest of those is the one whose board had been made of ivory and ebony, and the legs were copied after animal legs. The board, whose face is formed by an assemble of 3 allays of 10 blocks, had been called "Senet" in ancient Egypt. Senet means "passing through".

The oldest Senet is the one of the 1st Egyptian dynasty, 2950-2654 BC, which had been made of clay, according to the research of Munich University.
People playing Senet were drawn on a wall painting of Sakkala in a pyramid of the 3rd Egyptian dynasty, 2654-2578 BC. The board has 3 x 10 blocks, is supposed to have been played with 14 pieces.
In later days of the 18th New Kingdom's era, not only kings and nobles but also the common people, pupils of stone masons played with this Senet. Papyrus on which the blocks are drawn has been excavated as well.

BEFOREbThe History of Sugoroku TOPbNEXT


Copyright(c) TSUKIJI SUGOROKUKAN