Few syubols of antiquity ae as uniersly faite a5 the labyrinth - the mur eeated by the Athenian casermiod Daedalus to owe the ‘Minotaur, it ofpring of the Cretan queen Pasiphs and. bull. No fe who cotered the Init could ever find the way ov, abl dhe hero Theseus aided by King Minos daughter Aviad, killed the man fewing monetor and made he scene. “he orkins of this haunting tae ate tot in time. Some achlar ‘Begs thatthe th of the aby was apd by the aul ambood "alae of Moe a Footy i vhowe mate of roms xi Grok store might well be got et The word lari has teen cenneced wih ‘abn, the ‘wo-haded axe ubich fometmes ‘orn binvan srentectre "Ts all pnings of bus and The Enfaed bulls’ hors in tbe Palace ef Mize mgt ave suggested to a2 Ghecta a nue pupae for toe nso fat Ue hous of ‘ccseruon’ onthe pret of Koon te Bunaa-beaded bul Seema An pe os jenae, nay inve been apttopi, tended to war i enamies” Entanos to tent and teurged areas were fea farded by ice entre, sich athe spine a Thebes, Cesbos fhe pes of the Underworld or lhe grins Wich garded the gold mines of Seta, Indes the Ibn 0 maze was isl! spotopa Hesiened to conse and diorest poteatial sggresors, The double salle of Mjcenaein Tis formed & sor of rng maze, ard an enemy) inion detest eta te ete 0 “the concept of the labyrinth fascinated ke Romans a6 Well. For the ‘Romats, a labyrinth” Hor pattern not only provided a conversation Hew in ons ome, but ferformed an apetropte function. By fpmpubotc magis,« wave mosaic atthe entrance to a house might fonfors burglars or ev epite ting to bres in. For addot prox tection, the labyrinth could be enclosed by 4 yall with omer and fates to mabe i extra formidable. Examples of thi pe of laying fe kaown Fom z Late Repibliear mosaic at Pompei (ee Figure 1) 4nd a mosiie of about A.D. 300 from Thbube, Maus in Altea (Figute2), he entre of which depicts Theseus slain tke Misotau Factors nls ntgue thir. "The eer ny inlerms ws that mazes ao fgwed inches oldoor games, How these worked SS clear perhaps » Tore rave war raced in the iran th hl odo fad Sey to te sot how Stopping vee ay nes. We Row that Roo boys ‘mounted ox howsebac sal {Gray the “game of Toy, ‘Pork batten which he {vo opposing forces woul "8 room each other (one soup eek the othe countercockvize in ecceni cles Kke the ring of & a No Sn Keone bow ths spert gots name, tut Vogl canot sire {Pack tothe Treen bys the company of Aenea, who pecormed the manoeure atthe fneel games of Aachists, "Once upon te expan, the Labia on ay Cte eaclacd 4 path conceed y Wind wall ‘wih dangerous deceit in is thousind vay, whose Sennéviag cours whey cond nt be dsevered or etesped, If as ‘es to follow” (Aeneid 558-91). Was the Minoan labyrinth round ot square? ‘The uncertainty ofthis problem is refleded in the coinage of Knossos Assi nthe LateRepublic, The bith as sels logo and elm ams, buthe eins consi tem stow fae sound (Greve orsguare Cewre S)Sremin th round maze te antisera fo wet Jo ere the Siar as of tom the entrance. Ife unfor tate vat re foa stay backto thal orto, be MU se a all tthe od ST and assume i was 2 fieh ens ‘The labyrinth seems io have been a waespread design in the Roman wovld, A. lids graffio from Pompei, inscribed ‘Teuyinite The Miaoisur ives See" (Pigue. 5) Deas’ hg resemblance to one of the Knossor coins. In mosis the labyrath & Spee as fe sg cons of mare aes 12) bt ‘ate sometimes simpiied ard sjized. ‘This rend reathes is ‘titaow:carome io ambaac fon Corin (Patup. shee Ge [WU so bvesced with mabing the quadrants symmetric that he h roiced Tout envances, mabing eape cas. Only the symboli bulls Read‘in the cone acures us tat the mosiest had the binoan ‘abyriah in mind