Games - Mehen Board and Wooden Game Board Old Kingdom, Dynasties 3-6, ca. It is not known how the game was played and indeed more than most ancient games, theories for game play have varied quite considerably. [5] Mehen survived in Cyprus longer than in Egypt, showing that the game was indigenized upon its adoption into the island's culture. Instead of snakes and ladders try the ancient Egyptian game of Mehen. Explore stories, films, games and resources from the museums’ collections. In ancient Egypt, board games were extremely popularand many different kinds existed, both for two players at a time and multiple players. Pandora Games is raising funds for Mehen, Ancient Egyptian Game of the Snake on Kickstarter! Nine Men’s Morris. Aseb is the Egyptian version of the ancient Middle Eastern game called The Game of 20 Squares. Prolog. A 5,000 year old board game, brought back to life as a handcrafted collector's item Ancient Egyptian Mehen -- The Forbidden Game of the Serpent. Mehen or the Game of the Snake was one of the first known multi-player board games of ancient Egypt May 13, 2017 David Goran Among the many different kinds of games that existed in ancient Egypt, this game, known as Mehen or the Game of the Snake, is one of the first known spiral track and multi-player board games played by the ancient Egyptians. The game was named in reference to Mehen, a snake deity in ancient Egyptian religion. Several boards have been found with different numbers of segments, without distinguishing marks or ornamentation. Representations in the tomb of Hesyre and various other mastabas reveal that 2-6 people played at any one time (probably forming 2 teams of 1-3 players ea.) Can you get your counters to the snake’s head and back again before your opponent’s lion catches them? Can you get your counters to the snake’s head and back again before your opponent’s lion catches them? About Mehen. The earliest evidence of the playing of this game came from the pre-dynastic period. In ancient Egypt, the name Mehen, meaning 'coiled one', referred to a mythological snake-god and to a board game. Mehen is a protective deity who is depicted as a snake which coils around the sun god Ra during his journey through the night, for instance in the Amduat. Mehen. The game is a spiral in the shape of a coiled snake with the snake’s head in the center of the disk. Instead of snakes and ladders try the ancient Egyptian game of Mehen. Mehen is a board game which was played in ancient Egypt. Very expensive game sets, made of precious materials such as ivory and ebony, have been discovered in tombs throughout Egypt. Discover all the benefits of Membership and find out about types of Membership, prices and ways to join here. This famous tomb, magic the very commodities they describe. This is the ancient Egyptian Game of MEHEN! Senet, a board game where pieces moved according to random chance, was particularly popular from the earliest times; another similar game was mehen, which had a circular gaming board. Your donation today will protect our collections and help us to share their stories with the world. It was also called the Game of the Snake by ancient Egyptian players and refers to the Egyptian snake god that shared its name. Prayers that mention Mehen. being all two-player games. Mehen or the Game of the Snake was a game played by the ancient Egyptians until around 1000BC. [2] Aside from physical boards, which mostly date to the Predynastic and Archaic periods, a mehen board also appears in a picture in the tomb of Hesy-Ra, and its name first appears in the tomb of Rahotep. Senet is the most famous game from ancient Egypt, where it was in favor from the Predynastic … The rules and gameplay of Mehen are entirely unknown. Back to the Top. Mehen pdf 9.1MB. © National Museums Scotland Scottish Charity, No. It is not known how the game was played and indeed more than most ancient games, theories for game play have varied quite considerably. The Mehen game was played in Egypt from the Predynastic Period until the Middle Kingdom, 5000 to 4000 years ago. By reaching the center of the spiral, one would symbolically join Re on his barque. It was known as ‘Coiled serpent board game’. The pattern strongly suggests that the *mehen*-game ceased to be played in Egypt after the Old Kingdom. The precise relationship between the deity and the Mehen game is unknown. Mehen is a board game which was played in ancient Egypt. That’s the case with mehen, a game played in Egypt’s Old Kingdom between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago. Dice carved from stone and ivory were typical components of many ancient Egypt games. A game called 'The Hyena Game' was found being played on a Mehen-type board in the Sudan in 1921. The main function of the serpent-shaped Egyptian god Mehen was to protect the sun-god Ra from his enemies by coiling around him. Our online database contains a selection of the 12 million objects and specimens in our collections. Other games fell out of fashion and their rules were forgotten. Mehen, meaning coiled one, was a name for both a god and board game in ancient Egypt. [4] In Cyprus, it sometimes appears on the opposite side of the same stone as senet, and those from Sotira Kaminoudhia, dating to approximately 2250 BC, are the oldest surviving double-sided boards known. World Cultures Evidence of the game of Mehen is found from the Predynastic period dating from approximately 3000 BC and continues until the end of the Old Kingdom, around 2300 BC. A game called ‘The Hyena Game’ was found being played on a Mehen-type board in the Sudan in 1921. In Ancient Egypt, Mehen is both what appears to be a mythological character snake-god and a game. It is the only widespread ancient game to use a spiral game board, making it one of the most unique games ever created. Ancient Board Games: Senet, Game of Thirty Squares; Mehen, The Snake Game; Hounds and Jackals; The Royal Game of Ur Hardcover – August 1, 1999 by Finkel Irving (Author) 4.0 out of 5 stars 6 ratings Also from predynastic Egypt is Mehen. In Egyptian mythology, Mehen was primarily the subject of myth but not necessarily an object of worship. https://www.pyramidtextsonline.com/documents/DicksonDictionary.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mehen_(game)&oldid=994140252, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, dating from approximately 3000 BCE and continues until the end of the Old Kingdom, around 2300 BC, This page was last edited on 14 December 2020, at 07:33. Mehen or the Game of the Snake was one of the first known multi-player board games of ancient Egypt May 13, 2017 David Goran Among the many different kinds of games that existed in ancient Egypt, this game, known as Mehen or the Game of the Snake, is one of the first known spiral track and multi-player board games played by the ancient Egyptians. From archaeological evidence, the game seemed to have been played with lion- or lioness-shaped pieces, in sets of three or as many as six, and a few small spheres (marbles or balls). Mehen also appears to have been played outside of Egypt. Mehen-Wikipedia. What do you need? In fall 2018, excavations at the Russian fortress of Vyborg Castle revealed a long … The Galloway Hoard brings together the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland. 5 min activity. Nakht wiped his brow and hunkered down as close to the sand as possible behind a rock outcropping. This display highlights a small selection from our Scottish History & Archaeology collections, showing how research and collecting at National Museums Scotland is reshaping understandings of Scotland in the past, and reflecting the Scotland of today for future generations of museum visitors. Objects associated with the board may or may not be playing pieces. Mehen dates from Egypt’s Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150 – c. 2613 BCE). It is, however, depicted in tombs of about 700 BC, because the tomb decorations are copied from Old Kingdom originals. During Ra’s night journey through the netherworld, Mehen would coil around him and fend off his enemies. In Egypt, the gameboard depicts a coiled snake whose body is divided into rectangular spaces. The example below was discovered by the Egypt Exploration Society in … Explore the amazing collections of National Museums Scotland through films, animations and podcasts. The precise relationship between the deity and the Mehen game is unknown. Both the Egyptian god and game shared the name, Mehen; and because the hieroglyph for the god’s name includes the symbol for the board game, it is not clear which acquired the name first; game or god. Mehen was played inAncient Egypt over 5,000 years ago. This is a close-up photograph of a lion piece from a Mehen board game. According to some historians the Egyptian name of this game was Tjau, which in the ancient Egyptian slang meant “got it” or “bingo”, but other claim that this name is a mistake. Example of the Mehen-inspired "coiled serpent board game" survived from the Predynastic Period of Egypt to the Old Kingdom of Egypt. The game was named in reference to Mehen, a snake deity in ancient Egyptian religion. Mehen – the Snake Game! SC 011130, and back again before your opponent’s lion. The game was named in reference to Mehen, a snake deity in ancient Egyptian religion. Mehen or the Game of the Snake was a game played by the ancient Egyptians until around 1000BC. 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