2 players
Mehen
- Game family
- all
- Origin
- Egypt
Overview
Mehen is a game dating to the late fourth millennium through the end of the third millennium in Egypt. It takes the form of a coiled snake that is segmented into spaces, and the board varies in the number of spaces that appear on it. It is only of the earliest multi-player games documented, with up to six players. Mehen was also played outside of Egypt, particularly in Cyprus and certain parts of the Levant, and was played in Cyprus for at least 1000 years after it became unpopular in Egypt.
Source rules (English)
6 spherical pieces and 6 lion or lioness pieces per player. Up to six players. Four throwing sticks as dice. Players enter their spherical pieces on the board with a throw of one. They then race to the center of the spiral. The central space must be reached with an exact throw. To leave the central space, the player must throw two ones. The player then races in the opposite direction to leave the board. When a piece leaves the board, that player introduces a lion piece, that player being the only one to introduce lion pieces. The player introduces more lions with each piece this player moves off the board. The lion races to the central spot, doubling the number of the throws. The lion attempts to capture the other player's pieces by landing on them.