Hobbies And Interests
History
Mehen was played during the old kingdom period between 2700 to 2000 B.C. References in the ancient Egyptian Coffin and Pyramid texts show that the game had religious significance as well as being a popular form of entertainment. "Mehen" was the name of the Egyptian serpent goddess who coiled herself around the sun god Ra during his nightly journey through the underworld. It was this religious association that led to the game being banned as sacrilegious. The coiled snake that formed the gaming board was divided into squares, which effectively "cut" the snake goddess. To harm Mehen was to harm not only Ra but the whole processes of death and rebirth. Mehen was outlawed around 2000 B.C. and the game was lost to the Egyptians.
Pieces
Fourteen examples of Mehen sets found in first dynasty tombs are all that remain of the game in ancient Egypt. The spiral snake gaming board was set on a pedestal, effectively forming a one-legged table. The snake's head was in the center with its tail on the outside. Accompanying the boards were six marbles or colored counters and six animal-shaped pieces. Examples include lions and lionesses and hippopotami.
Aims
A very similar game to Mehen was discovered among the Baggara Arabs, nomadic tribes from the Sudan. The game, known as the hyena game, uses exactly the same type of gaming board as Mehen. The only difference is it is only played with one counter. Since Mehen survived in Cyprus for 1,000 years after its abolition in Egypt, it is probable that Hyena is another surviving form of the game. This game has been used to piece together the rules of the Egyptian Game of Snake. Mehen seems to have been a game for two to six players. The aim of the game was to be the first person to reach the snake's head at the center and then to move back out again using the six counters and animal-headed pieces. Moves along the snake were determined by the throwing of sticks, the Egyptian form of dice.
Playing Mehen
But playing Mehen involved more than simply being the first to navigate the snake. To begin the game, the player had to begin by throwing a one, known as "Shinyat," or magical spell. This number also had to be thrown before a player could begin the return journey from the center of the snake. During play, if a player moved into a square containing another player's counter; the player displaced it, sending the original counter back to the square the player previously occupied. On the return journey, such pieces were knocked out of the game if one of the animal counters displaced them. The winner was the first player out and the ranking of the losers was determined by the number of counters they had left.