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Senet Board

Egyptian (Artist)

1307-1070 BCE (New Kingdom)

Egyptian faience with glaze
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )

Egyptians enjoyed playing board games, especially senet, or "passing." During the 18th dynasty, the game acquired religious significance, which transformed it into a simulation of the soul's journey through the underworld to achieve immortality. Throw sticks, much like dice, determined a player's moves, and winning required both skill and luck. This senet game board of 30 squares required 14 game pieces, like these spool- and cone-shaped pieces.

Inscription

[Translation] First of the Priests of Amun, One who is in the place of the Temple of Amun-Ré (an acolyte of Amun-Ré), King of the gods, Nesi-amun-ipet, the Justified of Voice, the gift of Amun himself.

Provenance

**Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.**

Rev. William MacGregor Collection Sale, Sotheby's, London, 1922, no. 263 [as from Abydos]; Dikran Kelekian, Paris and New York, 1922, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1923, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
6/23/1982	Treatment	cleaned

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Geographies

Egypt, El Balyana (Abydos) (Place of Origin)

Measurements

10 7/16 x 3 9/16 in. (26.5 x 9.1 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired by Henry Walters, 1923

Location in Museum

Centre Street: Second Floor: Egyptian Art

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

48.408

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