20 October 2025

The Labyrinth (updated)



Greek labýrinthos (Mycenean 
DA-PU-RI₂-TO-JO 'of the labyrinth') designated an elaborated place built by the artificer Daedalus for the king Minos of Crete and whose function was to hold the Minotaur, a legendary creature half man and half bull. Although the Cretan labyrinth had a square or rectangular shape, there is an older circular version found in several ancient cultures, mostly in petroglyphs. 

From the Greek word, I'd reconstruct Minoan
1 *ɮabur 'fence, wall', with an initial voiced lateral represented as /d/ in Linear B. Seemingly related words are 
Central Chadic *ɮabˁ- 'fence, to fence', Low East Cushitic (Afar) sabsab- 'wall' (reduplicative), Egyptian ʃzp(a) 'fence',  Etruscan spur 'city'. 
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1 The Pre-Greek language spoken at Crete, attested in Linear A tablets and loanwords to Greek.