Playing marbles was supposedly popular in ancient Egypt, and it has yet to lose its popularity. There are several different games played with marbles, but the main object of all marble games is hitting a target by flicking a marble held between the forefinger and thumb at the target. The best-known marble game is called ringtaw. In this game, the players draw a circle on the ground. From a prearranged distance, the players take turns shooting one of their marbles at the marbles in the circle. The object is to knock as many marbles out of the circle as possible. In another game, fortification, the marbles are placed in the center of a series of concentric circles marked on the ground. The players must knock marbles out of the center circle and into the adjacent circle. A marble is considered out when the player has knocked it through all the circles. A third popular game is one that uses holes instead of circles. In fact, this game is called holes. Here, the players shoot their marbles into shallow holes dug in the ground.

To be popular in ancient Egypt, one had to play marbles.