Knossos
Theseus and Minotaur. Legends also recall how Theseus,
prince of Athens, with help from the fair princess Ariadne of Knossos, penetrated the
labyrinth and killed the Minotaur. By this act he freed Athens from annual tribute to the
Minoan rulers. History tells us that in the 14th century B.C. the Mycenaeans conquered the
Minoans, and we know that the last inhabitants of these palace cities were Greek-speaking
peoples from mainland Greece. The intersection of myth and history is often blurred. Vase
in British Museum, London.
-Karelisa V. Hartigan
