Reaching The House of Beauty: Senet through the Ages March 19, 2012

Rhonda Hageman, Egyptophile and a board-games aficionado, will be delivering a talk about: Reaching The House of Beauty: Senet through the Ages.

Among all games, pastimes and amusements, the ancient Egyptian game of Senet can truly be called "a game for the ages". It not only predates the pyramids, but it predates the pharaohs themselves. From its earliest Predynastic origins through the Late Period, this simple game became one of the most ubiquitous and enduring features of Egyptian culture. Virtually everyone in the Two Lands played it, from the common workmen scratching their thirty-square board in the dirt all the way to the kings playing on tables of ebony and gold. As the millennia passed, however, senet evolved into more than just a casual game; it eventually became a metaphor for the universal hope and struggle to reach a peaceful and happy afterlife. Finally, it holds a unique position as the world's oldest board game still played today. Far from extinction, senet has made its way into the 20th and 21st centuries to delight its players now as much as it ever did.

This presentation will discuss the development of Senet in pharaonic Egypt, its meaning and significance in Egyptian life, and conclude with a discussion of Senet in the modern age.

Official Website: http://www.egyptstudy.org