The Minoans’ Favourite Sport: Bull-Leaping

In the British Museum, London, a bronze statue depicts a man bounding dramatically over the horns of a bull. Not only does the figurine depict a seemingly impossible act because the character is missing the bottom half of his legs due to a possible casting misstep, but surely the actual act of leaping over such a sizable beast is unfeasible in this manner? 

Yet, although likely different in reality from how the statue depicts it, the ancient sport of bull-leaping probably did exist.

The Bull-Leaper statue originally came from the island of Crete, where the early civilisation of the Minoans probably used it as part of a shrine. The reason why it would have been stored in a place of such importance was likely due to the social significance of bulls on the island and also the fact that bull-leaping was typically performed during religious ceremonies. 

But what can we tell about bull-leaping from the ancient artworks that depict it? And why was it of such social consequence to the Minoans?

What do we know about Bull-Leaping?

The bull-leaping statue is a form of ancient Minoan art, used to depict a non-violent form of bullfighting that survives still in modern-day France, Spain, and India (however, cows are more commonly used nowadays). The original form of the ancient sport apparently consisted of an acrobatic jump over the head of a bull, grabbing it by the horns to achieve momentum and height. 

Although early depictions of the sport make it sound and look treacherous, the Minoans were likely skilled enough at it to avoid too many accidents. Although, judging by a goring scene depicted on the “Boxer’s Rhyton” - a plaster cast of a drinking container used in ancient Greece which was unearthed in a Minoan settlement and took the form of a bull’s horn - accidents were certainly still an occurrence.  

The location of the bull-leaping statue in London has afforded some sense of infamy to the object - and by proxy - the sport itself. Yet, it is, in fact, The Bull-Leaping Fresco in Crete that is considered to be the most renowned piece of artwork around the cultural importance of bull-leaping. 

The Bull-Leaping Fresco was painted in approximately 1400 BC and is intricately linked to Minoan culture through its use of vivid colours and impressionistic style. Two figures with light skin tone (and thus, women according to the style of ancient Greek art) within the painting flank a bull in the center, while a man performs an impressive leap over its back. 

Essentially, the fresco is attempting to capture the strain of the Minoan’s attempts at conquering the often difficult landscape and wildlife of their island. This strain is often symbolised by the bull, considering that it was the largest animal on the island of Crete and was thus a subject of worship and reverence. After all, Crete was the home of the mythical Minotaur - the fearsome half-bull, half-man creature.

For these reasons, the Palace of Knossos in Crete is adorned by many symbols which represent the animals’ influence. 

The details of the practice of bull-leaping are the subject of much debate. On the one hand, there are historians who argue that the sport never took place in actuality - instead, they claim that it was merely metaphorical for the Minoans’ tension regarding mastery of the bull. However, on the other hand, there are those who can offer a step-by-step breakdown of how the sport was performed based on the artworks available to us. 

Was bull-leaping an actual sport or metaphorical?

Archaeologists and ethnoarchaeologists (people who study modern cultures to facilitate understanding of ancient history) have examined the early artworks depicting bull-leaping for many years in order to determine how influential the ancient sport is over modern practices. 

Although many in the field suggest that artwork such as the fresco in Crete is decorative and intended to metaphorically represent a cultural influence instead of actual athletic prowess, other historians adamantly dispute this belief. Essentially, these experts use the information available to describe how the athletes approached the bulls, grasped them by their horns, and used the horns as anchorage to facilitate somersaulting over the heads of the animals as depicted in the images, before jumping back to the ground.

Yet, it may be the variety of different artworks that depict specific scenes and methods that lend the strongest argument to the existence of the sport. In some cases, there are two bulls, not just one. Moreover, In many artworks, the bull is intimidating and fearsome, but in others, calm and seated. It is the sheer variety portrayed that provides a layered understanding of a likely real, historical sport. After all, why else would the artists have used different methods of portraying bull-leaping instead of just one, if it were in fact, metaphorical?

The modern influence of Bull-Leaping

In Spain and France, the modern form of bull-leaping Course Landaise (not to be confused with bullfighting) allows ethnoarchaeologists to evaluate the modern practicalities of the ancient sport. For example, both in ancient Crete and modern-day Spain and France, the athletes compete as a team in order to successfully conquer the bull. Furthermore, these athletes are predominately men, and they leap over the bull as it charges directly at them.

However, the differences between the ancient and modern forms of the sport would be that cows are mostly used, not bulls - so less risk is involved. And although the modern athletes are capable of impressive acrobatics as they leap, they are not typically capable of a one-handed spring over the animals’ heads as is depicted in ancient artworks. 

Your connection to bull-leaping and the Minoans: 

If you would like to know whether you have a DNA connection with the ancient Minoans and their skilled bull-leapers, then you can upload your raw DNA on My True Ancestry’s website. Finding out more about your history is just a couple of clicks away!