If an object has Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช name ๐๐ on it, I am going to get excited about it – no matter what the artifact is!

This piece is a type of ancient Egyptian board game called Senet ๐๐๐๐ ! Senet ๐๐๐๐ is the worldโs oldest board game – thereโs evidence of its existence all the way back to the First Dynasty (though this particular board is dated c. 1390-1353 B.C.E.).
During the New Kingdom, the game represented the journey of the Ka ๐ (soul) to the afterlife/Duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. The word โSenetโ ๐๐๐๐ actually means passage or gateway (though there are other ways to write these words as well)! If you look really closely, you can see details of the โAnkh ๐น,โ which is the symbol that means โLifeโ along with the โDjed Pillar ๐ฝโ which means โStabilityโ painted on the side of the game! On both the left and right sides, you can also see the word ๐ด๐๐ which means โHealth!โ Such lovely messages on the side of a board game!
Senet ๐๐๐๐ is still a game that can be played today, though some of the rules are debatable! I find it so interesting that board games have been around for so long in history! Some things an about humanity have not changed!ย

The version of Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช name ๐๐ that appears on the side of the Senet ๐๐๐๐ board is her throne name, which is the name she took when she became pharaoh ๐๐ป! Her throne name is โMaatkare ๐ณ๐ฆ๐โ which translates to โTruth is the Soul of Re.โ