Minoan Art Work

This controversial fresco of bull-leapers comes from Knossos. It is generally thought that, imported from the Egyptian tradition, the pale figures are women and the dark figure is male. But they all wear codpieces. In addition to their physical function of protecting male genitalia, codpieces are a sign that the competition is particularly active (note #5 where the boys who are only boxing don't wear them). Bull-leapers all wear high-top shoes and wrist bands for the same reasons, as well. Current thinking is that the placement of the people may show either three stages of the bull-leaping or the women as attendants while the male alone leaps over the bull. It is thought that both men and women participated in the contests, perhaps to show their worthiness as aristocrats.

The bull was probably offered as a sacrifice after the bull-leaping contest.

For more on Late Minoan Art, see Dartmouth's Lesson 14: Late Minoan Painting and Other Representational Art: Pottery, Frescoes, Steatite Vases, Ivories, and Bronzes.