[1] The earliest representation of senet is dated to c. 2620 BCE from the Mastaba of Hesy-Re,[2] while similar boards and hieroglyphic signs are found even earlier, including in the Levant in the Early Bronze Age II period.

The first unequivocal painting of this ancient game is from the Third Dynasty tomb of the high official Hesy (c. 2686–2613 BCE).

[7] There are depictions of individuals such as Tutankhamun and Nefertari (wife of Ramesses II) playing senet in tomb art as well during the New Kingdom.

[8] Senet is depicted in ancient texts, including in Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead, where the individual who has died plays the game against an invisible opponent.

[10] A game that could be senet is also referenced in the Roman-era Egyptian literary work that has been given the title in modern times of Setne Khamwas and Si-Osire.

[11] In this story, Naneferkaptah challenges Setne to a board game, with the winner taking a book he had been looking for as a prize.

[14] However, there have been no actual senet boards that have been dated to the Fourth through Sixth Dynasties, just evidence that they did exist from depictions in tombs.

[15] In a painting from the Third Dynasty tomb of Hesy-Re, a senet game is depicted along with other boardgames from this era.

[16] A study on a senet board in the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, dating back to the early New Kingdom of Egypt, showed the evolution of the game from its secular origins into a more religious artefact.

[20] Various other Egyptologists have proposed additional rule sets over the years, but these have generally been discredited by subsequent archaeological findings.

[22] Through most of the game's 2,000-year history, the senet boards themselves would indicate the direction of play, usually from the top left corner and indicated by the decorations on the spaces.

[20] These rules are based on snippets of texts that span over a thousand years, over which time gameplay is likely to have changed.