2650 BC

The oldest known painting of the Egyptian game of Senat is put on a wall in the tomb of Hesy.  In pictures of Senat, two players appear at opposite sides of a board in profile.  Over 40 actual boards with pieces have been found.  The board for the game has dimensions of 3x10 with the 5 squares on the bottom-right side having symbols,  the final three representing 3,2, and 1 respectively.  Each player had from 5 to 10 pawns in different paintings and sets.  The game also had 4 double sided sticks which is believed to have acted as dice.  The actual rules of the game are unknown, though it is thought to be a game where the pieces race each other toward the bottom right corner.

Author: Eric Libicki

References:
Bell, Robbie and Michael Cornelius, Board Games Round the World: A resource
book for mathematical investigations Cambridge University Press" Cambridge
1988 page 55

Murray, H.J.R.,  A History of Board-Games Other Than Chess, Clarendon Press:
Oxford 1952 page 13

http://www.gamecabinet.com/history/Senet.html
 

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