Labyrinth History

In the early '90s, the Labyrinth form experienced a revival in the U.S.A. and since then many people throughout the country have built labyrinths. Much of this revival is credited to two labyrinth communities Veriditas and the Labyrinth Society. I could have a consistent relationship with this form because of one of the resources that came from this revival: the Worldwide Labyrinth locator (Saward).

Archaeologists and academics can trace the labyrinth form back to 4,000 years ago on rock carvings in Spain and Italy (Christie 15). However, they cannot guarantee this is where they began because the labyrinth cannot be claimed by one culture or region of the world. "Current academic thinking leans toward the origins of the labyrinth being in Northern Spain and Italy, from where it 'traveled' around the world; being brought to India possibly by Alexander the Great and to the Americas by the Spanish. This thinking does not take any account of the phenomenon known in scientific circles as 'multiple independent discovery,' where two are even three people come up with the same discovery or invention independently of each other, often at opposite ends of the world" (Christie 15).

Christie, Tony. Labyrinth: Your Path to Self-Discovery. Llewellyn Publications, 2018

Saward, Jeff. “World-Wide Labyrinth Locator - Welcome.” World-Wide Labyrinth Locator, https://labyrinthlocator.com/home. Accessed 12 Aug. 2022.