[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. 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.) It is of international significance and will transform our understanding of this period of Scottish history. Print off the instructions, board and counters below and lets play! By reaching the center of the spiral, one would symbolically join Re on his barque. The game recreates the nightly battle between the god and the enemies of the sun god, Ra. © National Museums Scotland Scottish Charity, No. That’s the case with mehen, a game played in Egypt’s Old Kingdom between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago. The Museum is now closed until further notice. A game called ‘The Hyena Game’ was found being played on a Mehen-type board in the Sudan in 1921. The name Mehen, can refer to the spiral form of the game or its representation of the Egyptian snake-god Mehen. Have fun with our collections whether you’re at home or outdoors. Mehen . Mehen was played inAncient Egypt over 5,000 years ago. The main function of the serpent-shaped Egyptian god Mehen was to protect the sun-god Ra from his enemies by coiling around him. So this new but ancient game promoted on Kickstarter piques our curiosity: Mehen is a 5,000 year old Egyptian board game. The Galloway Hoard brings together the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland. Discover all the benefits of Membership and find out about types of Membership, prices and ways to join here. No scenes or boards date to the Middle Kingdom of Egypt or New Kingdom of Egypt, and so it appears that the game was no longer played in Egypt after the Old Kingdom. Based on grave goods, texts and murals, archaeologists know mehen — which translates to “coiled one” — involved a circular board shaped like a coiled snake. Our online database contains a selection of the 12 million objects and specimens in our collections. This is a close-up photograph of a lion piece from a Mehen board game. Prayers that mention Mehen. World Cultures SC 011130, and back again before your opponent’s lion. 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. This is the ancient Egyptian Game of MEHEN! Very expensive game sets, made of precious materials such as ivory and ebony, have been discovered in tombs throughout Egypt. It appears alongside other boards displaying the game of senet at Bab 'edu Dhra[3] and in Cyprus. It was known as ‘Coiled serpent board game’. Mehen the Ancient Egyptian Game Apart from the name of a snake god, the name ‘Mehen’ was also used to be referred to as a board game which was in fact used to be played in ancient Egypt. Mehen. The game is a spiral in the shape of a coiled snake with the snake’s head in the center of the disk. Several boards have been found with different numbers of segments, without distinguishing marks or ornamentation. Games - Mehen Board and Wooden Game Board Old Kingdom, Dynasties 3-6, ca. Explore the amazing collections of National Museums Scotland through films, animations and podcasts. Can you get your counters to the snake’s head and back again before your opponent’s lion catches them? Mehen is an ancient Egyptian game, references to which have been found already in the predynastic period, before 3100 BCE. The variability suggests that the number of segments was of little importance to the 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. Your donation today will protect our collections and help us to share their stories with the world. The pattern strongly suggests that the *mehen*-game ceased to be played in Egypt after the Old Kingdom. In the German-Egyptian dictionary by R. Hannig it is said that the Mehen (mḥn) or the Mehenet (mḥnt) snake is equivalent to the Ouroboros. About Mehen. The game was named in reference to Mehen, a snake deity in ancient Egyptian religion. 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). Objects associated with the board may or may not be playing pieces. Aseb is the Egyptian version of the ancient Middle Eastern game called The Game of 20 Squares. The design of our game was inspired by the amazing version from Pandora Games that you can get here! These also display a variable number of depressions. Mehen dates from Egypt’s Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150 – c. 2613 BCE). 5 min activity. The earliest evidence of the playing of this game came from the pre-dynastic period. The rules and gameplay of Mehen are entirely unknown. What do you need? The Mehen game was played in Egypt from the Predynastic Period until the Middle Kingdom, 5000 to 4000 years ago. The objects in our care have the power to inspire people now and in the future. Mehen is a board game which was played in ancient Egypt. The game itself dates to around 5000 years ago, during the height of the age of Pharaohs. Sadly, Mehen has not … It is carved from ivory. It is, however, depicted in tombs of about 700 BC, because the tomb decorations are copied from Old Kingdom originals. Senet is the most famous game from ancient Egypt, where it was in favor from the Predynastic … Mehen or the Game of the Snake was a game played by the ancient Egyptians until around 1000BC. Mehen is a board game which was played in ancient Egypt. Mehen-Wikipedia. Instead of snakes and ladders try the ancient Egyptian game of Mehen. 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. Miniature games may have been simulacra among the belongings of the deceased . The precise relationship between the deity and the Mehen game is unknown. This famous tomb, magic the very commodities they describe. Instead of snakes and ladders try the ancient Egyptian game of Mehen. In ancient Egypt, the name Mehen, meaning 'coiled one', referred to a mythological snake-god and to a board game. It is not known how the game was played and indeed more than most ancient games, theories for game play have varied quite considerably. Back to the Top. Prolog. Example of the Mehen-inspired "coiled serpent board game" survived from the Predynastic Period of Egypt to the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Board game-Wikipedia. Mehen also appears to have been played outside of Egypt. 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. Nine Men’s Morris. A 5,000 year old board game, brought back to life as a handcrafted collector's item In fall 2018, excavations at the Russian fortress of Vyborg Castle revealed a long … Ancient Egyptian Mehen -- The Forbidden Game of the Serpent. The large serpent god was believed to protect the sun-god Ra. 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