From Manfred Bietak, Nannó Marinatos and Clairy Palivou, Taureador Scenes in Tell el-Dab‘a (Avaris) and Knossos (2007)
LEAPING LABYRINTHS. Wall plaster fragments excavated in the 1990s by Manfred Bietak at Tell el-Dab‘a (ancient Avaris) in Egypt’s Nile Delta depict many Aegean-style themes. Two fragments are shown here, both as they appear now and as they have been digitally restored on computers. The most dramatic scenes show acrobatic bull leapers vaulting over horned bulls, much like the famous panel from Knossos. Some of the paintings are set against maze-like backgrounds, recalling the Greek legend of Theseus and the Minotaur in the labyrinth.