Evans, Arthur J.: The Palace of Minos: a comparative account of the successive stages of the early Cretan civilization as illustred by the discoveries at Knossos (Band 4,1): Emergence of outer western enceinte, with new illustrations, artistic and religious, of the Middle Minoan Phase (London, 1935)

TEMPLE OVERLOOKS ARENA

Fig. 10. Development of "the Two Lower Zones of Steatite Rhvton from HagiaTriada,
showing Boxing Bouts.

Deposit'. These pillars are set beside the favourite boxing bouts, such as
are shown on the zones of the ' rhyton' (Fig. 10).x

Sexual Transformation of Girl Performers: wear Male Sheath.
A ceremonial feature, affecting all classes of the bull-sports, and which
must be distinctly regarded as of a religious nature, is to be seen in the
head-gear of the female performers. These, as may be gathered from their
elaborate coiffure and the gay bandeaux that some of them wear, clearly
occupied a good social position. Thus in the exquisite design of a leaping
girl performer given in Fig. II,2 her carefully curled locks are confined by
a blue ribbon and she wears a beaded necklace. But the most notable
feature in the costume of girl performers was of a very different kind. As
participants in the feats of the taurokathapsia these trained girl athletes—
who may be thought to represent the presiding Goddess in a superior
1 See ibid., i, p. 6SS seqq., and iii, p. 62 seqq. opposite. The female performer there wears
- For a coloured reproduction of this a blue ribbon round her head,
figure, see ibid., iii, PI. XXI, and p. 216

Sexual
trans-
formation
of girl
per-
formers :
their male
sheath.