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Game piece (hieroglyph)
Encyclopedia
The ancient Egypt
ian 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.
; two examples are shown: the word 'draughtsman', and 'to dance'-(the plural of "ab", "abU"-(U being the language plural-but also the "quail chick (hieroglyph)
" in Ancient Egypt).
The most common use of the "Gaming piece" as an artefact of Ancient Egypt, would be the use with the game of Senet
. The Senet game was often put into tombs and grave sites, as part of the grave goods
; the games were part of the pastimes for the afterlife, including any other common 'hobbies' of the deceased–(for example hunting duck
s at the marsh using a throwstick
). Since board game
s 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.
, with far less artefacts found of the game.
Senet, with game tokens:
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian 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
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
-piece lion is known from the Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The term itself was...
of Ancient Egypt; the set contains three lions, and three dog tokens of ivory.
The Senet
Senet
Senet is a board game from predynastic and ancient Egypt. The oldest hieroglyph representing a Senet game dates to around 3100 BC. The full name of the game in Egyptian was zn.t n.t ḥˁb meaning the "game of passing."- History :...
game is recorded as the oldest boardgame in history, for which tokens are used.
Use of the "game piece" hieroglyph
The basic word for 'Game piece' or 'draughtsman' is "ab". By implication, people on a flat arena were moving like "pieces"-(from a distance), and numerous varieties of the word 'to dance' include varieties using the "Game piece", as a determinativeDeterminative
A determinative, also known as a taxogram or semagram, is an ideogram used to mark semantic categories of words in logographic scripts which helps to disambiguate interpretation. They have no direct counterpart in spoken language, though they may derive historically from glyphs for real words, and...
; two examples are shown: the word 'draughtsman', and 'to dance'-(the plural of "ab", "abU"-(U being the language plural-but also the "quail chick (hieroglyph)
Quail chick (hieroglyph)
The Ancient Egyptian Quail chick hieroglyph is Gardiner sign listed no. G43 for the quail chick.The quail chick hieroglyph is used in the Ancient Egyptian language hieroglyphs for the alphabetic vowel letter w,...
" in Ancient Egypt).
Iconographic use
Senet
Senet is a board game from predynastic and ancient Egypt. The oldest hieroglyph representing a Senet game dates to around 3100 BC. The full name of the game in Egyptian was zn.t n.t ḥˁb meaning the "game of passing."- History :...
. The Senet game was often put into tombs and grave sites, as part of the grave goods
Grave goods
Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body.They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods are a type of votive deposit...
; the games were part of the pastimes for the afterlife, including any other common 'hobbies' of the deceased–(for example hunting duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s at the marsh using a throwstick
Throw stick (hieroglyph)
The Throw stick hieroglyph of Ancient Egypt is an old hieroglyph that dates from the Predynastic Period; it is from the assemblage of hieroglyphs used on the ornamental, or ceremonial cosmetic palettes...
). Since board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
s represent the common man
Common man
Common man may refer to:*Common people*Champion of the Common Man*"Common Man progrum" on sport hosted by Dan Cole*The cartoon character by R K Laxman, The Common Man*The Common Man , the 1975 French film...
'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.
Example "gaming tokens"
Some example game pieces of Ancient Egypt. One of the more famous games was "Hounds and Jackals", a race gameRace game
Race game is a large category of board games, in which the object is to be the first to move all one's pieces to the end of a track. This is both the earliest type of board game known, with implements and representations dating back to at least the 3rd millennium BC in Egypt, Iraq, and Iran; and...
, with far less artefacts found of the game.
See also
- Gardiner's Sign List#Y. Writings, Games, Music
External links
- Photo-High Res Hounds and Jackals game with game tokens
- Photo, Hounds and Jackals "Game of 58 Holes", hounds and jackals explanation
- Ancient Egyptian games: Aseb
Senet, with game tokens: