Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/ancient-board-games-that-are-still-fun-to-play-today/
There is something genuinely mind-bending about sitting down at a table and playing a game that someone, thousands of years ago, played in a candlelit room, or under the open Egyptian sky. These are not museum exhibits behind glass. They are living, breathing games that still deliver real excitement, real strategy, and real fun – today, in 2026, just as they did millennia ago.
Spanning over 5,000 years, ancient board games like the Game of Ur, Senet, Mancala, Mahjong, and Chess have been played across civilizations and have somehow refused to disappear. Honestly, that says more about human nature than almost anything else. We love competition. We love a good puzzle. We always have. Let’s dive in.
1. Senet – The Pharaoh’s Favorite
If you want to start at the very beginning, Senet is your game. The oldest board game we know about is Senet, which appeared in ancient Egypt approximately 5,000 years ago and is believed to take players on a symbolic journey through the afterlife. Think about that. People were playing a board game while the pyramids were being constructed.
Senet is one of the more well-known ancient Egyptian games, with four sets of the game being found buried alongside Tutankhamun. That alone tells you how much the pharaohs valued it. Originally a “pastime with no religious significance,” Senet evolved into a simulation of the netherworld, with its squares depicting major divinities…
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Author : Matthias Binder
Publish date : 2026-02-25 10:51:00
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