The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-09-11
ANCIENT LARYRlNrHs,
Oh But One Have Any Traces Been Found
In Modern Times;

In Modern Times:
A labyrinth was d structure ofintricate
passage-ways, Or rooms, through which
It was impossible to find the way with
out guide or clew. There were four
famous labyrinths mentioned in ancient
history, one in Crete, one at Lemnos,
one near Clusium in Italy, and one near
Lake Moeris in Egypt OF none but the
last of these have any traces been found
In modern times. The Cretan laby-
rlnth was built, it was said, by Daedelus,
at the order of King Minos, as a place of
confinement for the Minotaur, a hideous
monster, half man and half bull. The
existence of no one Of these characters,
however, is historically substantiated,
nor, since the beginning of authentic
history, has any record been made of
the Cretan labyrinth. In modern times
nothing has been found on its supposed
site more labyrinthine than the caves
and quarries of Mt, Ida. All that we
know of the labyrinth on the island Of
Lemnos is that it is mentioned by
Pliny. He says that it had massive
gates, SO we'll poised that child could
throw them open, that there were in it
100 handsome columns and many beauti-
tul statues. This historian says that part
OF this structure was remaining in his
time, but no later writer makes any men
ton OF it, and no vestiges of it now re-
main. The labyrinth of Clusium is said
to have been built as tomb for the
great Etrurian King, Lars Porsena.
Pllny gives description of this on the
authority of an old writer, Varro, and
declares it to have been one of the most
stupendous works of it's time, but as no
traces remained to any later period,
antiquaries have come to regard the
whole tale as myth. The Egyptian
labyrinth was visited by both Pliny and
Herodotus 1t was very large edifice,
and was divided into twelve separate
palaces, with a succession of splendid
apartments, spacious halls, etc. There
were six courts connected with the
north side of the structure, and the
same number with the southern, and
around these were large number of in
tricate passages. According TO Herodo-
tus, the structure had 5000 rooms, 1,5OO
above ground and as many below. He
went through the upper rooms, but was
not allowed to go below since there
were kept the bodies of the sacred croc-
odiles and of kings. OF the part which
he saw, the historian said 1.-THE pas
sages through the building, and the
variety of windings, afforded me thou
sand occasions of wonder as 1 passed
from hall to a chamber, and from the
chamber to the other buildings, and
from chambers into halls. All the roofs
and walls within are of stone, but the
walls are farther adorned with figures
of sculpture. The halls are surrounded
with pillars of white stone, very closely
fitted" 1t is not known by what kings
this remarkable structure was made,
nor exactly for what purpose. The lower
part seems to have been burial place,
and the upper rooms a place of assem-
bly, for political or religious purposes.
The ruins that have been found near
Fayoom in modern Egypt, have been
identified by modern antiquarians as
those of the ancient labyrinth. Chicago
Inter Ocean.