The ancient Egyptian 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 is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals ...
-piece lion is known from the
Old Kingdom
In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning c. 2700–2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourt ...
of ancient Egypt; the set contains three lions, and three dog tokens of ivory.
The
Senet
Senet or senat ( egy, znt, translation=passing; cf. Coptic ⲥⲓⲛⲉ /sinə/ "passing, afternoon") is a board game from ancient Egypt. The earliest representation of senet is dated to E from the Mastaba of Hesy-Re, while similar boards an ...
is recorded as the oldest
boardgame
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a com ...
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
determinative
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 ma ...
; 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)
The total number of distinct Egyptian hieroglyphs increased over time from several hundred in the Middle Kingdom to several thousand during the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
In 1928/1929 Alan Gardiner published an overview of hieroglyphs, Gardiner's sign ...
" in Ancient Egypt).
Iconographic use
The most common use of the "Gaming piece" as an artefact of ancient Egypt, would be the use with the game of
Senet
Senet or senat ( egy, znt, translation=passing; cf. Coptic ⲥⲓⲛⲉ /sinə/ "passing, afternoon") is a board game from ancient Egypt. The earliest representation of senet is dated to E from the Mastaba of Hesy-Re, while similar boards an ...
. The Senet game was often put into tombs and grave sites, as part of the
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 may be classed as a ...
; the games were part of the pastimes for the afterlife, including any other common 'hobbies' of the deceased–(for example hunting
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a fo ...
board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a ...
s represent the
common man
"Common Man" is a song written by Sammy Johns and originally recorded by him in 1981 via Elektra Records. Johns's version charted at number 50 on Hot Country Songs in 1981. It had "Easy to Be with You" on the B-side, and was produced by James St ...
'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 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 ...
, with far less artefacts found of the game.
Image:Maler der Grabkammer der Nefertari 003.jpg, Nefertari from her tomb scene, playing
Senet
Senet or senat ( egy, znt, translation=passing; cf. Coptic ⲥⲓⲛⲉ /sinə/ "passing, afternoon") is a board game from ancient Egypt. The earliest representation of senet is dated to E from the Mastaba of Hesy-Re, while similar boards an ...
Image:SenetBoard-InscribedWithNameOfAmunhotepIII BrooklynMuseum.png, Gamepiece "tokens" (common) and a
Senet
Senet or senat ( egy, znt, translation=passing; cf. Coptic ⲥⲓⲛⲉ /sinə/ "passing, afternoon") is a board game from ancient Egypt. The earliest representation of senet is dated to E from the Mastaba of Hesy-Re, while similar boards an ...
gameboard
Image:Louvres-antiquites-egyptiennes-img 2791.jpg, Gamepieces and board
Image:Ivory gaming piece.jpg,
Old Kingdom
In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning c. 2700–2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourt ...
gaming piece of
ivory
Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals ...
. Set of 6, 3 lions, and 3
bulldog
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.1st Dynasty, 3.5 × 6.5 cm,
Cairo Museum
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum or the Cairo Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display a ...
cf. Schulz, Seidel, 1998. ''Egypt: The World of the Pharaohs'', pg. 35.
List of Egyptian hieroglyphs
The total number of distinct Egyptian hieroglyphs increased over time from several hundred in the Middle Kingdom to several thousand during the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
In 1928/1929 Alan Gardiner published an overview of hieroglyphs, Gardiner's sig ...