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

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