April 1924. Tension rises as archeologists open the main chamber of Egyptian king Tutankhamun’s tomb. They find the usual treasures that accompany pharaohs after their death, but there are also some unexpected items: a big pile of games.
It was known that the old Egyptians liked to play games. Arm wrestling or javelin-throwing, they liked it all. As long as a winner could be appointed, the Egyptians were satisfied. But the discovery of so many games in the richly decorated tomb of Tutankhamun made it really clear how much the old Egyptians loved board games.
Playing the senet game in the after life
The senet game
Of all the Old Egyptian games that were uncovered, one was clearly the most popular: senet. Tutankhamun must have played this game as well: in his grave four complete, and two incomplete senet games were found. Furthermore, archeologists discovered fifty-six pawns and eight throwing sticks that served as dice.
Senet was a board game for two players and was probably played for the first time around 3000 B.C. It was invented in Egypt and made its way to the rest of the world via Sudan, Cyprus and Phoenicia (current Lebanon). It wasn’t a game just for the elite such as Tutankhamun. Besides the precious and beautifully decorated games many simple versions of it have been found. They would be carved in wooden boards or lids of boxes. The poorest of people probably played it on the streets. They would draw out a game board in the sand or mud and use sticks and stones for pawns.
Over time, senet was attributed a more religious meaning: the pawn’s ‘journey’ on the game board became a symbol of the journey that the soul of a deceased person made to the underworld. Images that were found at graves show this: they depict the deceased person playing senet, to practice for his journey to the afterlife. The pawns in these images look somewhat like chess pieces. Scientists are still not sure whether this is an early version of chess or whether the similarities are just a coincidence.
Tutmania
The archeologists found many more valuable things than just the senet games in Tutankhamun’s tomb. The public showed more and more interest for the Old Egyptian world. Newspapers and magazines published extensive articles on all the magnificent items from the tomb. Egypt became a true craze. In the nineteen twenties and thirties the whole world seemed to suffer from Tutmania. Tutankhamun was outrageously popular, more than 3000 years after his death!
Tutmania wasn’t limited to books and exhibitions about the Old Egypt. The fashion industry made Egyptian style designs. Fashion models on the catwalks of Paris would promote the Mummy wrap dress, which was described as an elegant hybrid of a mummy suit and an evening gown. Also Cleopatra cosmetics were available, make-up products that would make its user as beautiful as Cleopatra. New Egyptian sandals were designed according to the ones that Tutankhamun preferred to wear. In the sixties and seventies, love for Old Egyptian products made a brief comeback when a travelling exhibition of Tutankhamun’s treasures was displayed at museums worldwide.
Acient Egypt style chess set in the collection
Pharaohs at the museum
Ever since the past century’s Tutmania, the popularity of Egyptian exhibitions has never completely faded. A nice example of this can be found at the museum. A richly decorated chess set with gold and black Egyptian figurines is showed in all its glory. Tutankhamun style.
By Marjette van Koperen
You must be logged in to post a comment.