Ancient Egyptian Senet
Egyptian Senet game-board integrated with tarot and ancient oracle traditions.
by Douglas A. White, Amy Hsiao · 2006
Find a copy →We link out and never sell decks. Buying through links may earn us a small commission.
The record
In author Douglass A. Whites first Tarot deck, the Ancient Egyptian Senet Tarot, he has linked the tarot with the oracles of the Ancient Egyptians, in particular the Game of Senet. This game was played on a game board of thirty squares, each representing a deity, like a portable temple and the movement of the pieces represented the progress of a person through life and the lessons to be learned along the way. According to Douglass, the game was played with backgammon-like rules, but also used for consulting the gods before making major decisions. Although we dont find decks of Tarot cards, the tableaus from The Book of the Dead and the many surviving engraved seals attest that the Egyptians indeed painted cards on papyrus with pictures of the gods and major amulets on them. The tarot deck, variously called the Ancient Egyptian Senet Tarot, The Senet Tarot of Ancient Egypt or the Senet Tarot Oracle Deck, is based upon (and can be used as) a traditional tarot deck. It has 78 cards (plus one) illustrated by artist Amy Hsiao, that correspond to the traditional tarot structure, but the symbols and imagery of medieval Europe have been wholly replaced by that of Ancient Egypt. E
The cards
