CRETE - A photo-ethnographic study done through all the seasons and in all areas of the island
while in continuous residence for 16 months from 1982-84 by D'Lynn Waldron, PhD, FRGS

As with her other studies, Dr. Waldron was looking for cultural continuities across time.
She found many cultural continuities going back to the Minoan age 4000 years ago, among
the elderly villagers still living the traditional way of life, which would not survive them.

Following Roman roads through the mountains she found and photographed
megalithic ruins that have still not been investigated and she posits were built by
Celtic Sea People, because of the giant lozenge shaped stones set in the walls.

In studying the Minoan altars, she saw the design that Moses decreed in Exodus.
The Minoans had trading settlements near the cities of the Nile delta
from which the Hebrews set out on their journey to the Promised Land.

Crete Photo Gallery: crete.gallery.html

Thoughts on Minoan acrobatic performances with bulls by teams of men and womenX:

- Today in Europe there is bloodless bullfighting that involves groups grabbing the bull's sometimes padded horns.
       (And of course there is rodeo bulldogging which involves wrestling the bull by the horns, and bull riding, and rodeo clowns.)

- Today, the gymnastics on the vaulting horse are very similar to the acrobatics done with Minoan bulls.
- Bulls can be tamed and bond with those who treat them well.
      I visited and petted the vaquillia for our up-coming amateur bullfight
      The night of the amateur bullfight, the vaguilla happily tossed everyone before me.
      I tried a veronica pass and the vaquilla ran straight up to my midsection, stopped against me, and looked up at me as if saying,
"Don't try that with any other vaquilla!"

- I propose that the young men and women in the Minoan frescos were trained in the same skills as in today's gymnastics competitors.
- I propose that the bulls were tamed and even trained to be part of this performance, charging straight and not hooking with their horns.
- I propose that it would be possible to duplicate these performances today.