Fresco of an acrobat on a bull with two female acrobats on either side

Fresco of an acrobat on a bull with two female acrobats on either side. From Knossos.

relief of the "Prince with the lilies" or "Priest-King". He is wearing the Minoan cod-piece and has a superb crown of lillies and peacock's feathers on his head. He may have been leading some sacred animal with his left hand. Palace of Knossos: end of the 15th century B.C.
View the original frescoe in the Iraklion Museum

Prince of Lilies" or "Priest-king Relief", plaster relief at the end of the Corridor of Processions wearing a crown with peacock feathers and a necklace with lilies on it, leading an unseen animal to sacrifice

Dit plaastrene relief uit Knossoss (Kretaz) werd onlnags gerestaureerd en kreeg de naam de Prins der Lelies alhoewel het misschien een vrouwelijk figuur is. Het dateert

The Prince of Lilies is a much-debated reconstruction of fresco pieces found at Knossos in 1901. Sir Arthur Evans called the figure "Priest-King." The head-dress is thought to be appropriate to a female, whether sphinx, snake handler, or woman. Even the real skin color was unclear. Dirt with reddish stains is a distinct possibility. Since the Priest-King wears a codpiece, he could be a bull-leaper and possibly a female. He doesn't have the footware, but seems to have wristbands. Differences in color may have meant more than just gender differences; they could signify age or ethnicity.

For more on the interpretation of this fresco, see: The "Priest-King" Fresco from Knossos: Man, Woman, Priest, King, or Someone Else? Author(s): Maria C. Shaw Source: Hesperia Supplements, Vol. 33, ΧΑΡΙΣ: Essays in Honor of Sara A. Immerwahr (2004), pp. 65-84

This controversial fresco of bull-leapers comes from Knossos. It is generally thought that imported from the Egyptian tradition, the pale figures are women and the dark figure is male, but they all wear codpieces. In addition to protecting male genitalia, codpieces are a sign that the competition is particularly active (note #5 where the boys who are boxing don't wear them). Bull-leapers all wear high-top shoes and wrist bands for the same reason, as well. The placement of the people may show three stages of the bull-leaping or the women may be attendants and the male alone bull-leaping. It is thought that both men and women participated in the contests, perhaps to show their worthiness as aristocrats.

The bull was probably offered as a sacrifice after the bull-leaping contest.