Editing Labyrinth (section)

==Labyrinth as pattern==
[[File:Classical 7-Circuit Labyrinth.svg|thumb|"Classical" or "Cretan" design, well-known in antiquity.]]
The 7-course "Classical" or "Cretan" pattern known from Cretan coins (ca 400–200 BC) appears in several examples from antiquity, some perhaps as early as the late Stone Age or early Bronze Age.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.labyrinthos.net/labyrinthosarchive.html|title=Labyrinthos Archive – The First Labyrinths|website=www.labyrinthos.net|access-date=10 January 2020}}</ref> Roman [[floor mosaic]]s typically unite four copies of the classical labyrinth (or a similar pattern) interlinked around the center, squared off as the medium requires, but still recognisable. An image of the [[Minotaur]] or an allusion to the legend of the Minotaur appears at the center of many of these mosaic labyrinths.

[[File:Labyrinthus.svg|thumb|The four-axis pattern as executed in [[Chartres Cathedral]] (early 1200s)]]
The four-axis medieval patterns may have developed from the Roman model, but are more varied in how the four quadrants of the design are traced out. The Minotaur or other danger is retained in the center of several medieval examples. The Chartres pattern (named for its appearance in [[Chartres Cathedral]]) is the most common medieval design; it appears in manuscripts as early as the 9th century.