Ancient Games, Senet

6/11/14

Senet is a race game dating back to ancient egyptian times, and it is thought that it may be
the ancestor of modern day backgammon (Soubeyrand (1995)). We know of this game today
due to discoveries made through the excavation of ancient tombs.

The original rules of Senet (The Game of Passing) are unknown. There are no records of the rules ever having been discovered, however many have attempted to reconstruct the rules using knowledge gathered through excavations in which images have been found on ancient tomb walls, as well as
through Senet related artifacts. Two of the most well known versions of the games rules have
been created by T,Kendall and RC, Bell.

In this version of Senet the rules known as Kendall's rules will be used, which are the work of
Timothy Kendall (1978). The rules state that the game is played on a rectangular board with
with three rows of ten squares called "houses", as shown in Figure 1.

Fig 1.

At the beginning of the game the seven counters (per player) are placed next to each other, 

alternating along the first fourteen squares, as shown in Figure 1. The starting square is the 

fifteenth square on the board, starting from top left and following a backward ‘S’ shape, as 

shown in Figure 2.  

Fig 2. 

The players take turns moving the counters according to the throw of sticks, or one or two astragals. 

After the astragals/sticks are thrown the counters are moved a number of squares equal to 

the number of points ‘rolled’. Pieces move along the board in a backward ‘S’ shaped pattern. When a counter lands on a square already occupied by an opponents counter, they have to 

exchange positions. When two counters from the same player are on squares next to each 

other these counters serve as blockers. These stop the opposing player from passing and 

from exchanging places with these counters.  

There are five special squares that affect play,

Square Fifteen: The House of Rebirth. The starting square and return square if landing on  square twenty seven.

Square Twenty Six: The House of Happiness. All counters must land on this square. 

Square Twenty Seven: The House of Water. A square that can be landed on if a 

perfect throw/roll is not achieved when counters from squares twenty eight to thirty are trying 

to exit the board. If landing on this square, the player must move their counter back to square 

fifteen (Rebirth square) . 

Square Twenty Eight: The House of the Three Truths. A counter can only leave if a 

three is rolled/thrown. 

Square Twenty Nine: The House of Re­-Atoum. A counter can only leave if a two is 

rolled/thrown. 

A perfect throw is needed in order for a counter to exit the board. The winner of the game is 

the first player to move all of their pieces off the board.

  

(T,Kendall. (1978)).

Duggan, E. (2014). Ancient Board Games. 

Kendall Timothy. (1978). Passing Through the Netherworld : The Meaning and Play of Senet, 

an Ancient Egyptian Funerary Game, Belmont, The Kirk Game Company. 

Legacy.mos.org, (2014). Museum of Science : Ancient Egypt Science & Technology : At 

Home Activities. [online] Available at: http://legacy.mos.org/quest/activities.php [Accessed 18 

Dec. 2014]. 

Murry, H. (1952). A history of board­games other than chess. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 

Parlett, D. (1999). The Oxford history of board games. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

R.C.Bell. (1979). The Board Game Book, Marshall Cavendish Ltd, London. 

Soubeyrand,C. (1995). The Game of Senet. Available: 

http://www.gamecabinet.com/history/Senet.html. Last accessed 15 Dec 2014.