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Hounds and jackals

Race Games

Hounds and jackals, also called dogs and jackals, is the modern name given to an ancient Egyptian board game known from surviving gaming boards and playing pieces found in excavations. The name was coined by archaeologist Howard Carter after he found a complete gaming set, including ten small sticks topped with carved jackal and dog heads, in a Theban tomb from the reign of the pharaoh Amenemhat IV during the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom, roughly 2000 BC. Boards typically carry two sets of holes, twenty-nine on each side, and players appear to have raced pegs along the holes, though evidence from Anatolia and the Caucasus has raised questions about whether the game actually originated in Egypt.

Facts
Sport
Game Type (category)
Board Game 1
Classification
Player Count
Two-Player 1
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Hounds and jackals (Wikipedia)
  • Lead
    an ancient Egyptian tables game that is known from several examples of gaming boards and gaming pieces found in excavations
  • Board configuration, paired holes and pieces
    ten small sticks with jackal or dog heads (five per player)
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