10 OLDEST Board Games In History

5. Mehen (2700 BCE)

So we mentioned earlier that snakes and ladders is an old game, and it kinda is. Known originally as Moksha Patam, the game of morality, climbing the board via virtuous ladders and slipping down via snakes of vice, dates back to the 2nd century AD. However, it’s nowhere near the earliest snake themed game, as that title belongs to a game called Mehen, the oldest versions of which are believed to have originated over two and a half millennia earlier. Its an ancient Egyptian game named after Mehen, a mythological snake deity, although some game boards are so old they’re believed to predate the first written mention of Mehen, so it’s actually possible the God was inspired by the board game not the other way around, you know, like the God of capitalism is fashioned on Rich Uncle Pennybags. Scenes depicting Mehen being played date back to the fifth dynasty of Egypt, and evidence of the game dates back even to predynastic years, just shy of 3,000 BCE. Old. It is old. The board depicts a serpent, coiling inwards from tail to head, with segments to hold counters. Historians guess it could be a racing game, but really no-one has any clue how to play the thing.