Author: Matt Davis / Source: Big Think
- The Minoan civilization, which existed on the island of Crete nearly 5,000 years ago, produced a treasure trove of artwork showing a unique sport or ritual: men leaping over charging bulls
- Scholars have argued over whether the Minoans actually performed this dangerous activity, though the evidence seems to suggest that they did.
- If so, modern bull-leaping sports, such as those practiced in France and Spain, may have their roots in ancient Minoa.
The Minoans, a nearly 4,000-year-old civilization from the island of Crete, have their fair share of mysteries. Though they had a writing system — scratches and dashes, called Linear A, that look like a cross between the Greek alphabet and Chinese characters — it has yet to be deciphered. They worshiped an unknown goddess often associated with snakes. Some believe them to be the original civilization upon which the myth of Atlantis was built.
One of the most compelling mysteries regarding the Minoans, though, is the origin of their (apparent) favorite sport: an acrobatic take on bullfighting called bull-leaping.
Bull crazy
The Minoans were bona fide bull fanatics. Sculptures, jewelry, and frescoes of bulls have been found in the ruins of the many palaces that dot Crete. They created drinking horns called rhyta that ended in bulls’ heads, and the large palace at Knossos is even believed to be the location of King Minos’s labyrinth, which contained the half-man, half-bull minotaur.
One of the most common depictions of bulls in Minoan artifacts, however, is that of a man somersaulting over charging bulls. Scholars debate whether the Minoans actually partook in bull-leaping, but its undeniable that they were certainly preoccupied with it.
Based on Minoan artifacts, scholars believe that if the Minoans did, in fact, engage in this dangerous activity, the basic tactic would have happened in four phases (though depictions differ).
First, the vaulter would approach the bull; grasp the bull’s horns; use…
The post The mystery behind Minoan bull-leaping appeared first on FeedBox.