As potentially the oldest known board game, the importance of mehen in ludological history cannot be understated, but no comprehensive analysis of any mehen board has ever been undertaken. Technologies now exist that were unavailable when these objects were acquired, giving opportunities to better understand the genesis and evolution of this ancient game from the Naqada II Predynastic period to the Old Kingdom of Egypt. The mehen gameboard held by the Petrie Museum, London, was chosen for a comprehensive study of a mehen artifact, encompassing the board’s acquisition history, materials, manufacture, chronology, and ludology, plus features such as its hole and its turtle head embellishment. Microscopy, reflectance transformation imaging, experimental archaeology, and photogrammetry were used to test theories posed by former researchers regarding this specific board as well as mehen in general.
(icon) = Open Access (icon) = Subscription Access
Download Full Text(Pages 19-43)