One of the oldest board games known to have existed, the ancient Egyptian board game
Senet, was pictured in a fresco found in Merknera's tomb (3300–2700 BC). The familiar game of chess can be traced back to the Indian game of
Chaturanga, described in texts from the seventh century AD as a game simulating a battle between the four arms of the Indian army, which were all deployed in battle as decided by the commanders according to factors such as the weather, terrain and the composition of forces.
In Europe, the oldest records of board games date back to Homer’s