In Ancient Egypt, Mehen is both what appears to be a mythological character, and a board game. Mehen simply means (one who is) coiled, and describes both, as they are both a coiled snake. Evidence of the game of Mehen dates from approximately 3000 BC (see [1]) and continues until 2300 BC (during the Middle Kingdom), when it appears to have been prohibited for a currently unknown reason, then does not reappear until 700 BC. Some of the best evidence appears during the Old Kingdom, in a picture of the game within the tomb of Hesy-Ra. Map of Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt as a general historical term broadly refers to the civilization of the LowerNile Valley, between the First Cataract and the mouths of the Nile Delta, from circa 3300 BC until the conquest of Alexander the Great in 332 BC. As a civilization based on... Egyptian mythology (or Egyptian religion) is the name for the succession of beliefs held by the people of Egypt until the coming of Christianity and Islam. ... A board game is any game played with a premarked surface, with counters or pieces that are moved across the board. ... Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae Snakes are cold blooded legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order Squamata. ... (31st century BC - 30th century BC - 29th century BC - other centuries) (4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC) Events 2925 - 2776 BC - First Dynasty wars in Egypt 2900 BC - Beginning of the Early Dynastic Period I in Mesopotamia. ... (Redirected from 2300 BC) (24th century BC - 23rd century BC - 22nd century BC - other centuries) (4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC) Events 2334 - 2279 BC (short chronology) Sargon of Akkads conquest of Mesopotamia 2217 - 2193 BC - Nomadic invasions of Akkad 2205 BC - Foundation of the Xia... The Middle Kingdom is a period in the history of ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh dynasty to the end of the Fourteenth dynasty, roughly between 1986 BC and 1633 BC. The Beginning The Middle Kingdom is usually dated to when Pharaoh Mentuhotep II from Thebes defeated... Centuries: 9th century BC - 8th century BC - 7th century BC Decades: 750s BC 740s BC 730s BC 720s BC 710s BC - 700s BC - 690s BC 680s BC 670s BC 660s BC 650s BC Events and Trends 708 BC - Spartan immigrants found Taras (Tarentum, the modern Taranto) colony in southern Italy. ... The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization complexity and achievement - this was the first of three so-called Kingdom periods which mark the high points of civilisation in the Nile Valley (the... Hesy-Ra was an official physician and scribe who lived during the Third dynasty of Egypt, served under the pharaoh Djoser, and was laid in an elaborate tomb at Saqqara. ...

The precise relationship between character and game is unknown. It is not known whether the game derives from the mythological character, or the character derives from the game. Neither is it known whether the character was considered to be anything other than the game.

The game

There is a board depicting the body of a coiled snake, which is divided into rectangular spaces, which are not distinguished or ornamented. The number of segments varies considerably among known boards and therefore seems to have been of little importance to the game. There are also objects associated with the board which may or may not be playing pieces. From archaeological evidence, the game seems to have been played with lion- or lioness-shaped game pieces, in sets of 3 or as many as 6, and a few small spheres (marbles/balls). Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. ... Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. ... Some historic marbles Hand-made marbles from West Africa Marbles can also refer to marble sculpture, for example the Elgin Marbles Marbles is a class of childrens games played with glass or agate orbs generally approximately half an inch (1cm) across. ... A ball is a round object that is used most often in sports and games. ...

It is known that the board depicts a game rather than acts as a religious fetish due to studies of paintings in tombs and game boards and equipment found. Currently, the rules and methods for playing are completely unknown. Also none of the associated objects fit neatly within the segments of the snake. A game is a recreational activity involving one or more players. ... This article concerns the concept of fetishism in anthropology. ...

The character

Texts, which do not currently appear to be descriptions of a game, indicate that Mehen was considered to be a snake-god who either coils around Apep to protect Ra from him, during his journey through the night, or instead coils protectively around Ra and his boat, a form in which he is often depicted. Mehen was consequently sometimes merged, in depictions, with Set, who also, originally, was considered to protect Ra, and thus was shown as a serpent-headed man with a spear, standing in Ra's boat. An Egyptian deity wards off the snake-like Apep In Egyptian mythology, Apep (also spelt Apepi, and Aapep, or Apophis in Greek) was an evil demon, the deification of darkness and chaos, and thus opponent of light and Maat (order/truth), who was believed in from the Middle Kingdom... The Eye of Ra, also called the Eye of Horus This article is about the Egyptian god. ... Set, in KV34 Set (also Setekh, Seth, etc) was originally a god of strength, war, storms, foreign lands (and foreigners) and deserts in Egyptian mythology. ...

See also

• Senet

Senet is a board game from ancient Egypt. ...

External links

• Discussion of the game by University College London