The Minotaur: Historical Bull? Quiz

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.

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.

Answer: bull

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.