Theseus_&_the_Minotaur

Theseus and the Minotaur is just a product of Greek mythical, oral tradition which contains no substance of truth. Evaluate this statement using evidence drawn from sources to justify your perspective. The story of Theseus and the Minotaur is one of the most argued Ancient Greek tales. It is a story carefully woven with deceit, violence, horror, sacrifice and bestiality. Although the story possesses ludicrous and impossible components, much truth and evidence can be found to support a rational history. Whether the legend is a fictional bedtime story told to ancient Athenian children or a horrible truth behind the pretence of myth, it holds key elements to understanding the ancient Greek society of both Cretans and Athenians. The legend is an exaggerated version of what is a less exciting truth, the legend being “The ancient Greek myth told of a ferocious beast- half man and half bull –that inhabited a labyrinth built by the architect Daedalus under the palace of King Minos. Each year (or in some versions, every nine years) the people of Athens were forced to send seven boys and seven maidens to be devoured by the beast, until one year the hero Theseus came and slew the creature with a magic sword, escaping the labyrinth by retracing a thread given to him by Minos’s daughter Ariadne.” It is naïve and juvenile to assume that the Ancient Greek tale of Theseus and the Minotaur is just a myth. There are many factors to consider before overlooking the tale to be just a product of Greek mythical, oral tradition that contains no substance. This includes the location of the story, the characters and both written and archaeological sources. Although the tale was generally passed down through history by verbal telling, there are written sources that suggest the story be true as well. In the South of Crete, there is an ancient underground quarry, ‘The Labyrinth of Messara,’ located north of the Messara Mountains. The cave stretches on for two miles and consists of seemingly never-ending corridors; the corridor walls are riddled with chisel marks which prove the structure is manmade. In the centre of the maze there is a room which is said to be where the Minotaur dwelled. Locals believe that it may have been the inspiration for the Ancient Greek myth. However, most experts think the legend is older than the caves. People continued to believe that it was the original home for the Minotaur until Arthur Evans stole the limelight in 1899. ‘The Labyrinth of Messara’ is not the only archaeological structure that supports the myth. The other is ‘The Palace of Minos.’ In 1899, Arthur Evans, the curator of the ‘Ashmolean Museum’ in Oxford, England, excavated over 0.8 hectares of a massive structure at Knossos in just nine weeks. Evans also found 3000 clay tablets and many other artefacts. The structure Evans uncovered had 1300 rooms, covering 20,000 square metres. He named it ‘The Palace of Minos.’ With the palace containing a vast number of rooms, different levels and many passageways, it resembled a Labyrinth. This is what sparked Arthur Evans for the name of his discovery; it gave hope to the mythical story. Evan’s purchased the site in 1901 to guarantee is preservation. The Palace is believed to be constructed between 1700 and 1300 BC and the Minoan civilisation is believed to have flourished during the Aegean Bronze Age. Although the design may give the impression of a maze, rooms such as the theatre and a throne room suppress this belief. As well as the wine presses, terracotta plumbing and sewerage system, the Palace has proved to be suited for a ruler rather than the Minotaur. The Palace of Knossos does however provide great archaeological evidence supporting the belief of a real King Minos and the proof that the Minoans had an obsession with Bulls. ‘The Palace of Minos’ contains a room with a large throne, still perfectly intact; the throne is the oldest found in Europe. The room it lies in is known as ‘The Throne Room.’ Also in this room, there were found many tablets, one of them was inscripted in two ancient languages; Arthur Evans named them ‘Linear A’ and ‘Linear B’. The languages may have mentioned the King himself, experts believe it reads “Minos the King.” Also unearthed in ‘The Palace of Minos,’ was the Minoan obsession with Bulls. Throughout the Palace there are frescos, statues and pottery all portraying signs of Bull worship. Even the Minoan currency was dedicated to the Bull. The Bull theme was an icon of male supremacy and was linked with their religion. The Minoans obsession with the Bull was intensified with the sport of Bull-Leaping. This required highly trained men and women to approach an on-rushing bull, grabbing its horns and leaping over its back, safely landing on their feet. Bull horns were considered sacred symbols by the Minoans. Carved stone horns are found on the roof of Minos’s Palace; in the centre there is a hole big enough to fit a double headed axe. Both the carved horns and axe are believed to be used in a sacrificial manner of the Bull. Another example of Bull adoration in Crete was a specific Bull head Rhyton. The vessel was used in sacrificial rituals, filled with either blood or some other liquid through the neck and then emptied through the nostrils. The Rhyton was crafted out of stone, the horns were painted gold, the eyes were made of rock and the muzzle was mother of pearl. Beyond the signs of Bull worship in Crete, there were also paintings, mosaics and other forms of evidence to support the story in Athens, Italy and Lebanon. This proves that the story was not only popular, but may contain a truth under many layers of generalisations and entertaining fabrication passed through subsequent re-tellings. The story of Theseus and the Minotaur consists of many horrid factors that hold the foundation of the myth. One of the most repulsive and barbaric is the act of human sacrifice. In ‘The Palace of Minos,’ excavations have found inscriptions that have been interpreted to speak of human offerings made to the Gods. Even more shocking, is the archaeological findings of human bones. In 1979, over three hundred of them were unearthed in Knossos, the savagery was extended when discovered they all belonged to children. About 25% of the bones wore scrape marks of a fine blade, similar to marks of bones being prepared to eat. In Anemospilia near Heraklion, there lies a temple which seems to have collapsed mid-ritual during an earthquake. Inside the temple, one of the bodies produced evidence of being a human sacrifice. Another account of human sacrifice, are the bones of four children from the North House at Knossos, all four of them show similar butchery marks to the three hundred also found in Knossos. With all this evidence, it is not so hard to believe that Minoans accepted both human offerings and cannibalism into their culture. According to the tale, Pasiphae has sexual intercourse with the summoned white Bull after Poseidon casts the curse on her to fall in love with it. Pasiphae has Daedalus build her a bull costume to seduce the white Bull into engaging in sexual intercourse with her. Unlike our modern society and culture, bestiality was not taboo in Minoan culture. This suggests that although it is impossible for a woman to conceive a half human half bull child, it is not impossible to have sex with a bull. In the Colosseum, there are accounts of women slaves being forced into committing the act of bestiality for entertainment. This was often done to re-enact Pasiphae and the Bull. In the Legend, it was the Athenians who were sacrificed to the Minotaur. It is hard to fathom the existence of this creature. However, there is rational evidence that can be drawn upon to give the story a believable truth. Plutarch, a priest who served at the temple of Apollo in Delphi, expresses in the writing Life of Theseus (2nd A.D) “However, according to Philokoros, Kretans deny this and declare that the Labyrinth was indeed a dungeon, but had nothing wrong with it except that the prisoners could not escape. Minos founded the funeral games in memory of Androgeus, and the prizes he gave to the victors consisted of these young Athenians, who in the meanwhile were imprisoned in the Labyrinth.” He also suggests that the Minotaur was actually Minos’s general, Tauros. Tauros won the Athenians and treated them cruelly. It also becomes clear that Minos’s wife, Pasiphae, was not intimate with a bull, but in fact Tauros. Minos’s was angered by this and was more than pleased when Theseus killed Tauros in battle during the Funeral Games. Thankful for the death of his wife’s lover, King Minos released the Athenians. The above version of Theseus and the Minotaur is a likely truth behind the myth. The story also presents the origin of the Minotaur’s name: ‘Mino’ coming from Minos, and ‘taur’ deriving from Tauros, thus ‘Minotaur.’ Supposing this is the truth, where and how did the exaggerated version of the story originate from' The answer lies in Athens. Imagine you are an Athenian and you are unwillingly under the power of the sadistic King Minos. Every nine years, you are to submit fourteen of your youth. You are over-flowing with rage and irritation. Especially considering you are unable to fight against King Minos and his giant Naval Force. The only retort you have is to taint and twist the truth. Although it is a juvenile response, it is a possible explanation to the origin of the Theseus and the Minotaur story. The Athenians prided themselves with being civilised; to them the Minoans were savage and barbaric. The Athenians were also aware of the Minoan fascination with Bulls and decided to seek revenge with rumours- rumours which may have led to the myth. They demonised the Minoan society with twisting truth and keeping the story alive by passing it to surrounding civilisations. With the evidence found, it is apparent the Theseus and the Minotaur story is more than a myth. Both archaeological and written sources found on Crete provide great evidence to support a rational version of the legend. After Arthur Evans excavated ‘The Palace of Minos’ on Knossos, it is obvious that the supposed Labyrinth was real. Although the Palace was not home to the Minotaur, to a visiting enemy, the Palace was so large; it would have been confusing and maze-like. It is not possible for a half man half bull creature to have existed. However, it is possible for the great King Minos to have ruled over Greece as written sources tell. It is not promising that Pasiphae had sex with a bull, but it is possible. However, ignoring the physical bull, Pasiphae may have engaged in an affair with King Minos’s General Tauros. Tauros was most likely the Athenian’s metaphorical bull, perceived as both bull and the Minotaur. Not only can the characters be proven genuine historical figures, but the evidence to support the act of both sacrificial murder and cannibalism on Crete, is too vast too ignore. King Minos would have approved of sacrificing humans as a last resort to appease the Gods. The legend of the Minotaur eating Athenians may have been an encoded message of the cannibalism Minoans were involved in. Bull worship is extremely apparent in the Minoan society. When the civilisation disappeared, they left behind an infinite supply of art and other creations all dedicated to the bull. Surrounding societies also obtain evidence of the myth. Proving that the story was popular and a Chinese-Whisper’s effect could have taken place, masking the truth. It can therefore be concluded after much debate and consideration of both archaeological and written sources, that there is substance and truth behind the exciting, nevertheless exaggerated, Theseus and the Minotaur myth. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOK Sources * Barnett, Mary, Gods and Myths of Ancient Greece, NSW 2072 Australia: Universal International Pty Ltd, 1996 * Bowman, John, Treasures of Ancient Greece, New York: Gallery Books, 1986 * Cotterell, Arthur, Classical Mythology, New York: Lorenz Books Anness Publishing Inc, 2002 * Foss, Michael, Gods and Heroes, Chicago: NTC Publishing Group, 1994 * “However, according to Philokoros, Kretans deny this and declare that the Labyrinth was indeed a dungeon, but had nothing wrong with it except that the prisoners could not escape. Minos founded the funeral games in memory of Androgeus, and the prizes he gave to the victors consisted of these young Athenians, who in the meanwhile were imprisoned in the Labyrinth.” Plutarch, Life of Theseus, (2nd A.D.) Source Ch. 15 * “The ancient Greek myth told of a ferocious beast- half man and half bull –that inhabited a labyrinth built by the architect Daedalus under the palace of King Minos. Each year (or in some versions, every nine years) the people of Athens were forced to send seven boys and seven maidens to be devoured by the beast, until one year the hero Theseus came and slew the creature with a magic sword, escaping the labyrinth by retracing a thread given to him by Minos’s daughter Ariadne” Pollard, Justin, The Story of Archaeology in 50 Great Discoveries, London: Quercus Publishing, 2007, Page 111 * Pollard, Justin, The Story of Archaeology in 50 Great Discoveries, London: Quercus Publishing, 2007 INTERNET Sources * “Bull head Rhyton” Dilos Holiday World. “Bull's Head Rhyton from the Little Palace of Knossos, Crete, Greece : Wonderfull steatite rhyton in the shape of a bull's head.” [Online] 02 March 2012. URL

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