Taking the Bull by the Horns in Greece

Literally, taking the bull by the horns. I saw this fresco on the Greek Island of Crete, which was the home of the ancient Minoan civilization. The Minonans thrived between 2600 to 1100 BC and were incredibly advanced. The largest structure they left behind was the Knossos Palace, which had over 1,000 rooms. Let's just say that there is nothing even close to that size and complexity on Crete today.

Knossos Palace as it is believed to have looked

Knossos Palace floor plan

Fragments of some of the frescoes that decorated the walls remain. I loved the fresco showing the Minoan sport of Bull Leaping. Not only did the Minoans wrestle with bulls, one guy did acrobatic flips on the bull's back while the other held the bull by the horns.

A reproduction of the fresco hangs on the wall in the Knossos palace (first photo at the top of the page).

The surviving pieces of the real fresco are on display in the Heraklion Archeological Museum (below).

Ancient Fresco Fragments, pieced together and incorporated in a reproduction in Heraklion
Archeological Museum

Detail of Fresco

Although the bull-by-the-horns hijacked my attention, Minoan art is best know for pottery. Check out the detail on these leaves...

...and on this octopus. Their art is known for its inspiration of subjects from nature.

These were made more than 1,000 years before Christ was born.  The Minoans had come and gone, and engineered solutions before the Romans even started to think about aquaducts and sewers.