Ancient Egyptians at Play ─ Board Games Across Borders

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.

Game practices, which were also part of Egyptian rituals and divination, travelled from Egypt to the Levant and back, meeting players in Cyprus or hosting Romans and Arabs in Egypt. By adopting and exporting games, Egyptians were an integral part of the transmission of board games in antiquity. In the last few years, the extent and the modes of contact has 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 in 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 is 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. The volume starts by introducing the reader to the role of board games in ancient history and go on to trace the history and distribution of ancient Egyptian games, looking particularly at how they show contact with other cultures and civilizations.

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.

Anne-Elizabeth Dunn-Vaturi is the world's expert on the Game of Fifty-Eight Holes and is pursuing a PhD in Egyptology at Leiden University, the Netherlands. She published several articles in leading journals on her topic.

Alex de Voogt is Assistant Curator and Assistant Professor at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. He has published widely on board games and the development and history of scripts. His recent research on mancala games including Roman and Ottoman games in Palmyra and Sudanese Nubia is well known.