Did the Bull Fighting of Atlantis Come From the Minoans?

A Minoan fresco from the 15th period BC showing the gymnastic feat of leaping implicit a bull. Heraklion, Crete. Credit: Jebulon / Public Domain

In Plato’s celebrated relationship of Atlantis, helium describes assorted aspects of the island’s culture. One notable facet was that the radical of Atlantis engaged successful bull fighting.

Since galore scholars judge Plato’s relationship was inspired by 1 oregon much existent civilizations, is determination immoderate humanities ground for this peculiar facet of the culture? Let’s analyse however the Minoans explained the bull warring of Atlantis.

The bull warring of Atlantis

To statesman with, fto america see what Plato really wrote astir bull warring connected Atlantis. The pursuing transition comes from Critias, a dialog by Plato, written astir 360 BC:

“There were bulls who had the scope of the temple of Poseidon; and the 10 kings, being near unsocial successful the temple, aft they had offered prayers to the deity that they mightiness seizure the unfortunate which was acceptable to him, hunted the bulls, without weapons, but with staves and nooses; and the bull which they caught they led up to the pillar and chopped its pharynx implicit the apical of it truthful that the humor fell upon the ineffable inscription.”

According to this passage, bulls were fto escaped successful the Temple of Poseidon. The rulers of Atlantis would hunt the bulls with “staves and nooses” alternatively than weapons. That is, they would usage sticks and ropes to seizure them.

Once captured, they would pb the bulls to a ineffable pillar connected which determination was a ineffable inscription. This pillar was located wrong the Temple of Poseidon. There, the animals would beryllium sacrificed.

The Minoan transportation to Atlantis

It is worthy asking wherefore we mightiness expect this statement of Atlantis to adjacent person a humanities origin. After all, did Plato not conscionable marque up the communicative arsenic an allegory? While this is the decision of galore scholars, determination is wide designation that Plato whitethorn person been inspired by genuine stories.

For example, the Encyclopedia Britannica notes the following:

“The fable of Atlantis whitethorn bespeak past Egyptian records of a volcanic eruption connected the land of Thera astir 1500 BCE.”

In different words, the fable of Atlantis whitethorn good beryllium connected to past records of the Minoan civilization. This civilization inhabited Thera astatine the clip of that volcanic eruption.

Some scholars adjacent spell truthful acold arsenic to accidental that Plato was not trying to constitute an allegory astatine each but was simply signaling a bona fide fable connected the Minoans. In immoderate case, it is precise apt that the origin of Atlantis tin beryllium attributed astatine slightest successful ample portion to the Minoans.

How the Minoans explicate the bull warring of Atlantis

With this apt root successful mind, did the Minoans prosecute successful a signifier of bull warring akin to that described by Plato successful his relationship of Atlantis? This was so the case.

Firstly, see the information that the signifier supposedly took spot wrong the Temple of Poseidon. This was an tremendous temple dedicated to Poseidon and his person successful the mediate of the island.

This would look to lucifer the Palace of Knossos adjacent the mediate of Minoan Crete. This ample palace analyzable served temple functions. Furthermore, it was dedicated to Poteidan, the Minoan precursor to Poseidon, on with a goddess.

In the mediate of the palace analyzable was a ample Central Court. There is beardown grounds that the Minoans performed a benignant of bull warring successful this court. Off to the sides of this Central Court were ineffable crypts. Within each crypt was a ineffable pillar with a ineffable inscription connected it. Evidence of bull sacrifices person been recovered there.

Clearly, the similarities betwixt humanities Minoan practices and Plato’s legendary statement are striking. But what astir the existent bull warring itself?

Bull warring oregon bull leaping?

Minoan seal depicting the seizure of a bull portion different bull tramples a man. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 4.0

One of the astir communal objections to the thought that the bull warring of Atlantis came from the Minoans is the information that the Minoans engaged successful bull leaping. That is, an jock would leap implicit the charging bull.

Some researchers instrumentality this to mean that they did not really combat the bull. This would not align with Plato’s writing. However, is this truly the case?

First of all, Plato ne'er really described the Atlanteans arsenic “fighting” the bulls. Rather, helium said they captured them with staves and nooses. This emphasizes the lack of unit against the bulls alternatively than the beingness of it.

Perhaps astir importantly, determination are Minoan artifacts which show that the Minoans engaged successful the seizure of these bulls. One artifact successful the British Museum, for example, is simply a seal which depicts a antheral having captured a bull with a rope.

A akin illustration is simply a antithetic seal which appears to amusement the existent capturing of a bull, utilizing what looks similar immoderate benignant of forked unit aimed towards its neck. On the aforesaid seal, a 2nd bull tramples a man.

The grounds from these seals shows that the Minoans did prosecute successful the seizure of bulls. They did not conscionable leap implicit them. Rather, they engaged successful this benignant of bull warring and glorified it, depicting it connected their seals. They utilized sticks and ropes to bash so, conscionable similar Plato described.

Therefore, determination is bully grounds that Plato’s statement of the bull warring connected Atlantis does travel from the Minoans.