What is the oldest board game?

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Not just for encouraging Christmas family disputes, board games have been played throughout the history of mankind. Some of the oldest games found include backgammon, Go and Liubo – two traditional Chinese games. But the oldest board game known to man is a game called ‘Senet.’ Senet was played in Predynastic Egypt, dating it to around 3100 BC. The game of Senet is featured on hieroglyphs and multiple tombs in Egypt such as the tomb of Merknera and Hesy, and eventually became a talisman for the journey of the dead. Because the game relies heavily on luck it was thought that the winner was under the protection of the gods and it name came to mean ‘the game of passing.’ Senet boards were often placed in the grave to help the deceased through the afterlife.