Board games, outside games, and painful games were the major categories of games that Ancient Egyptians played. Believe it or not we still play a lot of these games today. They played a form of hockey. They would use palm tree branches as sticks and a leather ball for a puck. Board games include Dogs and Jackals and Senet. .
Dogs and Jackals" board was as big as a piece of furniture measuring 15 cm X 10 cm made of wood and ivory. You had three coins that would tell you haw far you could move and drawers that held the pieces. The person that had all of the pieces at the end won.
Senet's board had 30 holes drilled into it (3 rows and 10 columns). You had 7 pieces of wood, sticks, or knucklebones that were your pieces. Through the ages it has acquired some religious meaning. It symbolized the passage of the dead through the neatherworld with their ability to win the game.
Sports.
Ancient Egyptian sports were much like our own. They were wrestling, fishing, weightlifting, shooting, long jump, rowing, swimming, and many more. The Ancient Egyptians were the ones that came up with the rules for most of the sports that we play today. The Pharaohs were razor sharp on attending sports and seeing who the victor would be. They would award the players different collars showing that they won or lost.
Other Forms of Entertainment.
The Ancient Egyptians put on all sorts of shows. Drama was a main aspect of the nighttime. .
The absolute most important entertainment was the Nile River. Its activities included fishing, riverboat outings, hunting crocodiles and hippopotamus, swimming, and boat racing. They would also hunt on foot. Some of their prey was fox, hare, and hyena. .
They would play musical instruments such as the harp, the lyre, and the lute. Children kept themselves busy with animals carved out of ivory and balls. Festivals were held in honor of the Gods.
