Man (or boy) In Black finds Senet game on beach, convinces Jacob to play

As a young Man In Black walks along the beach, he discovers a game on the beach. The game is Senet is believed to be the oldest board game in the world, originating in ancient Egypt as far back as 3,100 B.C.

As he picks up the game, he looks out at the sea, or "Across the Sea." He goes and sits on a log and begins to set up the game with black and white stones. Young Jacob approaches him and asks what he has. MIB explains that it's a game that you play, and when Jacob asks how he knows how to play, MIB says "I just know."

MIB makes Jacob promise not to tell Mother about the game because he thinks she'll take it away. Jacob looks a the white piece and when MIB asks if he wants to play, Jacob says yes.

So this is certainly very similar to Locke's backgammon game in season 1. Senet is considered to be a precursor to backgammon. The game also gives us a general idea of when all of this is taking place. It would certainly seem to be sometime before the birth of Christ (B.C.), meaning that Jacob and MIB have been on the island for at least 2,000 years, if not quite a bit longer.

You'll also notice that one of the symbols on one of the squares is an ankh, the symbol we've seen a number of times, most notably this season when it was revealed that it was what was in the guitar case Hurley had been carrying.

Locke removes white stone from the scale + ankh, lute, compass

Once Locke and Sawyer enter the cave, we see a scale with a white stone and black stone in balance. Locke removes the white stone and throws it into the ocean, telling Sawyer that it's an inside joke (presumably between he and Jacob).

On the table in the cave there is also a compass, an ankh and a lute (the stringed instrument you can see below). I wonder if Jacob would hang out here and play a few tunes?

When Sawyer asks if they are there to see the rocks on a scale, Locke lights a torch and leads him further into the cave. The interior cave will be a big post, so it will be separate.

The temple is revealed + meet Dogen & Lennon + Cindy returns

As the survivors are brought out from the pathway under the temple wall, we finally get our first look at the temple itself. It's a large, tiered structure shaped somewhat like a pyramid.

The "temple master" Dogen, his translator Lennon and Cindy Chandler, the flight attendant from Oceanic 815 emerge from the temple. This is the first time we've seen her on the island since the season 3 episode "The Brig" (check out screens here).

Dogen speaks Japanese, and asks the survivors who they are and Cindy steps up and identifies them as being on Oceanic 815. Dogen says to shoot them and Hurley pipes up and says that Jacob sent them and tells them that Jacob gave him the guitar case. Dogen opens it to reveal a wooden Ankh, a symbol the complete four toed statue of Taweret was holding (see screens here). Dogen bows to it and the breaks it in half, then pulling a list from the hollow chamber. He asks them all there names and then tells them to bring Sayid inside to the spring. Lennon says that the paper said that if Sayid dies, then they are all in trouble.

How many other names were on the paper, which appears to be blank in one shot?

Sawyer tells Horace about Kate, we see ankh again

We see Sawyer reading a book as Horace Goodspeed is waking up after his tree blowing up bender. The cover of the book is blank and the spine is not visible, so we don't know what he was reading. Horace wakes up and Sawyer tells him good news and bad news. The good is that he's a daddy and the bad news is that he missed it. Horace tells him that his bender was caused by him finding Paul's ankh in Amy's sock drawer. Horace says that it's only been three years since Paul died and asks "Is three years long enough to get over someone?" Sawyer replies telling him how he "had a thing for a girl once" who he a shot with but didn't take, referring to Kate. He says he used lay awake a night wondering if it was a mistake but now he can barely remember what she looks like. He says she is gone and is never coming back (though that's about to change). He says three years is absolutely long enough to get over someone.

As Sawyer is telling his story to Horace, while it's sad, he seems at peace with it all and happy with the life he has now. Oh how that is about to change.

It's worth noting that this scene is esentially a reversal of the earlier scene in the episode where Sawyer wakes up to find Horace standing next to him (that post is here).

Amy gives up Paul's body to maintain the truce

Amy is sitting by Paul's body in when Horace and Sawyer come in. Horace tells her that to maintain the truce, Richard wants to take Paul's body back with him. She immediately gets distraught and starts to shake her head signaling no. Horace tells her that if she doesn't want to give them Paul's body, then they will "suffer the consequences." She tells Horace that they can take Paul because he would want to keep them safe. She asks for a minute alone with Paul and she uses the time to take an ankh necklace from his neck. An ankh is a symbol of life and/or immortality. The giant statue also may have been holding an ankh (see photos here). As she is leaving, Sawyer apologizes to her.

Horace then tells Sawyer that the submarine will return in two weeks and that he and his crew can stay until then so they can look for their other men.

It would seem that the ankh symbol may be an important symbol in the island's mythology. I guess we'll have to wait and see how it figures into the big picture.