ARCE Chicago: The Egyptian Game of Senet, from the New Kingdom to Roman Time: Funerary Destiny, Astronomy, and Medicine

The game of senet is one of the most famous board games of Egyptian Antiquity. Attested from the 4^th millennium BC, it is characterized by its thirty squares. It was played by 2 players, each one having 5 to 7 playing pieces, whose progress obviously depends on fate—by the throwing of sticks or a pair of knucklebones—but also on strategy. This talk will re-evaluate the role usually attributed to senet in the funerary sphere in the New Kingdom, and will discuss the evolution of the game during the first millennium, when it seems more related to astronomical practices, calculating time, and perhaps, medicine for the eyes.

(Please double check that I have the time right when you register!)