The rich history of Egypt has provided famous examples of board games played in antiquity. Each of these games provides evidence of contact between Egypt and its neighbours. From pre-dynastic rule to Arab and Ottoman invasions, Egypt's past is visible on game boards.

This volume starts by introducing the reader to board games as well as instruments of chance and goes on to trace the history and distribution of ancient Egyptian games, looking particularly at how they show contact with other cultures and civilizations. Game practices, which were also part of Egyptian rituals and divination, travelled throughout the eastern Mediterranean. This book explores the role of Egypt in accepting and disseminating games during its long history. Over the last few years, the extent and the modes of contact have become better understood through museum and archival research projects as well as surveys of archaeological sites in Egypt and its surrounding regions. The results allow new insight into ancient Egypt's international relations and the role of board games research in understanding its extent.

Written by three authors known internationally for their expertise on this topic, this will be the first volume on Ancient Egyptian games of its kind and a much-needed contribution to the field of both Egyptology and board games studies.

Walter Crist is a leading expert on Cypriot board games and is completing a PhD in archaeology at Arizona State University. He has presented at several international conferences and is authoring a series of articles on this topic.

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Egyptian Chronology
1. Ancient Egyptians at Play: An Introduction
2. Mehen and men: The First Signs of Egyptian Board Games
3. Senet across Borders
4. The Game of Twenty: A Foreign Acquisition
5. The Game of Hounds and Jackals: From Thebes to Susa
6. Roman Board Games Crossing the Borders of Egypt
7. Arab and Ottoman Invaders Scratching the Surface
8. The Role of Board Games in Understanding the Ancient World
Index