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by some scholars as a plausible theory, it has failed to satisfy others, some of who believe that the real Labyrinth of the ancient myth still awaits discovery.
Therefore, the interpretations of the ancient Greeks regarding the previously mentioned features of the palace, as well as the probable subsequent misinterpretations made by those responsible for the written accounts of the myth, could have accounted for the eventual form of the myth.
To the ancient Greeks, the myth’s account of the victory of the Athenian Theseus over the Minoan Minotaur symbolized the supposed superiority of the Greeks over the Minoans of Crete. Numerous ancient works of art that recall the tale through their narrative scenes testify to the popularity of the myth. One example is found in the form of an Etrurian kylix, or drinking bowl, dated to c. 440-430 BCE, that depicts Theseus dragging the slayed Minotaur from the Labyrinth. The repeating meander pattern of the border probably represents the Labyrinth of the myth. Other examples include an early seventh-century Cretan pitcher that depicts Theseus and Ariadne; and an Olympian shield, dated to c. 600 BCE, on which a relief of the battle between Theseus and the Minotaur appears.
Many mosaics have narrative scenes from the myth incorporated into their designs. One example is the 18’ x 15’ floor mosaic found in a Roman villa near Salzburg, Austria, which contains four narrative scenes. "It bears the device of a labyrinth, with at, the centre, a representation of Theseus about to give the fatal blow to the Minotaur. On the left side we see Theseus and Ariadne joining hands over the altar. In the upper panel Theseus appears to be putting Ariadne ashore, and to the right we see the disconsolate maiden deserted by her lover, presumably on the Isle of Naxos" (Matthews, 47-8). Another mosaic, discovered in Pompeii, "depicts Theseus and the Minotaur struggling on the ground, watched by a group of affrighted maidens" (Matthews, 46). The house in which it is displayed is known as the Casa del Labirinto or House of the Labyrinth.
The earliest known connection between an abstract depiction of the classical labyrinth and the myth was discovered in Pompeii. Dating from before 79 AD, the year when Mount Vesuvius erupted and covered the city with lava and ashes, the incised figure appears on the peristyle of the house of a certain Marcus Lucretius. It depicts a classical, Cretan type labyrinth, or one with seven convolutions, and the accompanying inscription in Latin, "LABYRINTHUS HIC HABITAT MINOTAURUS" translates to "Here lives the Minotaur" (Jaskolski, 10).
Although catacomb art is not known to have references to labyrinths, a connection can be made between labyrinths and the structure of the Roman catacombs. Early Christians continued to excavate the tufa granolare, a soft volcanic stone, just outside of the walls of Rome, which previously had been excavated by pagans as quarries, in order to construct the narrow galleries, chambers, and loculi (receptacles for the dead) of their sacred catacombs. Although relatively straight and intersecting at approximately right angles, the nature of the elaborate network of subterranean passages associates them with mazes and labyrinths. The purpose in establishing a cemetery in the catacombs was one of concealment from persecutors, and the dark, intricate network of grave-lined passages caused more than a few uninitiated visitors to get lost, some of whom never found their way back out. In addition to the labyrinthine construction of the Roman catacombs, which is similar to the catacombs that exist beneath Paris, one can relate them to the labyrinth due to their obvious associations with both death and the concept of rebirth, by nature of the religious beliefs embraced by their creators.