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The Minotaur: Historical Bull? Quiz

Here's a bit of interesting history behind the story of Theseus and the minotaur! How much of this do you know?

A multiple-choice quiz by Telemachus. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Telemachus

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
24,577

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
4782

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The minotaur is a creature of Greek legend. What sort of creature is it? Hint

A giant bull with a man's head

A giant bull

The head of a bull on a man's body

A tattooed man

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Question 2 of 10

2. The word 'minotaur' is an amalgam of 'Minos' and 'tauros'. What did 'Minos' mean to the people of ancient Greece? Hint

A king of Crete

A Cretan tax collector

A Mycenaen lord

A king of Mycenae

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Question 3 of 10

3. Continuing from above, what did the word 'tauros' mean to the people of ancient Greece? Hint

earthy

stubborn

bull

lost

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Question 4 of 10

4. What did 'labyrinth' mean to the ancient Greeks? Hint

A gold ring

The palace of the sun

House of the double axe

A state of confusion

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Question 5 of 10

5. How might 'labyrinth' have come to mean 'maze', as it does in the story of Theseus and the minotaur? Hint

The maze of axes found in a holy room in Cnossos

The many stone wall mazes in the gardens at Cnossos

The chaotic construction of the palace at Cnossos

The throng of people always wandering in front of the palace in Cnosos

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Question 6 of 10

6. Does Theseus, the prince who supposedly slew the minotaur, fit into this time period historically? (Cnossos was destroyed circa 1400 BC)

Yes

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Question 7 of 10

7. How was the bull associated with Crete? Hint

All of the other answers are true

Bulls were revered in Crete

A golden bull mask was found at Cnosos

Bull-leaping was a sport in Crete

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Question 8 of 10

8. Seven youths and seven maidens were supposedly sacrificed to the minotaur every nine years. How might this idea have come about? Hint

Athens may have handed over hostages to the lords of Cnosos

All answers are possible

The youths may have been sacrificed to a bull god

The youths may have been competitors in events like bull-leaping

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Question 9 of 10

9. Who led the renowned dig in Crete in 1900? Hint

Heinrich Schliemann

Minos Kalokairinos

Sir Arthur Evans

Perse Papasos

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Question 10 of 10

10. Many myths have some basis in fact.

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The minotaur is a creature of Greek legend. What sort of creature is it?

Answer: The head of a bull on a man's body

That should be an easy start, though that's more myth than history. Other features of the bull, such as the tail, are sometimes associated with the form of the minotaur.

2. The word 'minotaur' is an amalgam of 'Minos' and 'tauros'. What did 'Minos' mean to the people of ancient Greece?

Answer: A king of Crete

Thucydides certainly writes of Minos as a historical figure. 'Minos' may actually have been a generic term like 'king' used for any ruler of Crete.

3. Continuing from above, what did the word 'tauros' mean to the people of ancient Greece?

Answer: bull

Also the reason the sign of the zodiac represented by the bull is known as 'Taurus'

4. What did 'labyrinth' mean to the ancient Greeks?

Answer: House of the double axe

A 'labrys' was a double-headed axe. Likely ceremonial, many were found at Cnossos and were also found depicted on the walls.

5. How might 'labyrinth' have come to mean 'maze', as it does in the story of Theseus and the minotaur?

Answer: The chaotic construction of the palace at Cnossos

A dig in Crete unearthed the ground plan of the palace at Cnossos. It was chaotic and maze-like, and the 'house of the double axe', which is the literal meaning of 'labyrinth', was likely soon associated with anything akin to a maze.

6. Does Theseus, the prince who supposedly slew the minotaur, fit into this time period historically? (Cnossos was destroyed circa 1400 BC)

Answer: No

No, he comes from a later period in the history of ancient Greece, but then so did those who wrote down the legend. He appears to have been fused with an older story that had suffered numerous changes already. Someone thought it made good story-telling, and I'd have to agree.

7. How was the bull associated with Crete?

Answer: All of the other answers are true

Bulls were certainly revered and were likely worshipped. Human sacrifices may even have been made, which would go a long way toward explaining the story's sacrifice of the fourteen Athenian youths to the minotaur.

8. Seven youths and seven maidens were supposedly sacrificed to the minotaur every nine years. How might this idea have come about?

Answer: All answers are possible

All are possible. The youths may have competed in Crete at various intervals (possibly every nine years) as Crete placed some emphasis on sport. Sports such as bull-leaping could have proved fatal, so the competitors would have died at the hands of the king's bull.. the 'minotaur'.

In later times the Turks took hostages for good behavior in such a fashion, and the idea is likely much older, so it's also entirely possible the youths were granted to the ruling lords. Sacrifices were common, and human sacrifice was not unheard of.

The youths conceivably could have been sacrificed to a bull god.

9. Who led the renowned dig in Crete in 1900?

Answer: Sir Arthur Evans

Minos (a coincidental name? Hmm..) was the first to excavate in 1878 but he didn't get far before he was stopped by the Turkish landowners. Schliemann ran into much the same difficulty and never had the chance to dig there (Schliemann is known for his excavation of the Hisarlik mound and the discovery of what may have been Troy.) Evans was able to dig in what was once Minoan Crete years later, and his finding gave us a historical Crete where before we had only the shadows of myth.

10. Many myths have some basis in fact.

Answer: True

While stories like that of the minotaur may change greatly as they are passed from person to person, many apparently come from real events. Theseus may never have followed Ariadne's string out of a maze, but fourteen youths may well have gone to perform against bulls at the palace in Cnossos, the House of the Double Axe.

Source: Author Telemachus

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
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