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Minoan Bull Leaper

A History of the World in 100 Objects

CHAPTER

Thesis in the Minotaur

In Greek myth, Minos had a very complex relationship with bulls. He was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, but in order to father him, Zeus had turned himself into a bull. His wife conceived an unnatural passion for a very beautiful bull, and the fruit of that obsession was the Minotaur - half man, half bull. Archaeologists were captivated by these tales when they explored Crete 100 years ago. A bronze sculpture of a bull with a figure leaping over it is now one of the highlights of the British Museum's Minoan collection.

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