Game piece in the shape of a baboon

Game piece in the shape of a baboon

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Animal ankle joints, anatomically termed astragals, were used as gaming pieces. The knucklebone itself might be carved, or astragal-shaped gaming pieces might be carved from other sources or materials. All were termed astragals, which were used like dice or jacks. This baboon has been compactly carved, seated and with its head turned, to serve as an astragal.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Game piece in the shape of a baboonGame piece in the shape of a baboonGame piece in the shape of a baboonGame piece in the shape of a baboonGame piece in the shape of a baboon

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.