greek-museums: Archaeological Museum of Heraklion: An important aspect of Minoan public life was the

greek-museums:Archaeological Museum of Heraklion:An important aspect of Minoan public life was the organized spectacles at which trained athletes engaged in contests of strength, endurance and skill.Particularly popular were the difficult and dangerous bull-leaping, bull-hunting, and perhaps boar hunting contests, wrestling, boxing, and other sports displaying tactics, ability and skill, such as foot races, chariot racing and somersaulting.The most spectacular Minoan acrobatic sport was bull-leaping, in which young, trained athletes of both sexes took part. The bull-leaping extravaganza is summarily depicted in a series of murals, gold rings and seals, forming an image identified with Minoan Crete and the glory of Knossos in particular. The contests would have been held in large, outdoor spaces, or even in the courts of the palaces. The spirit of competition and excellence first cultivated by the Minoans would be revived centuries afterwards in the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, whose establishment was linked by mythological tradition to Crete. -- source link

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