Many turf mazes in England were named Troy Town, Troy-town or variations on that theme (such as Troy, The City of Troy, Troy's Walls, Troy's Hoy, or The Walls of Troy) presumably because, in popular legend, the walls of the city of Troy were constructed in such a confusing and complex way that any enemy who entered them would be unable to find his way out. Welsh hilltop turf mazes (none of which now exist) were called "Caerdroia", which can be translated as "City of Troy" (or perhaps "castle of turns").
W. H. Matthews, in his Mazes and Labyrinths (1922), gives the name as "Troy-town".[1] More recent writers (such as Adrian Fisher, in The Art of the Maze, 1990) prefer "Troy Town".
The name "Troy" has been associated with labyrinths from ancient times. An Etruscan terracotta wine-jar from Tragliatella, Italy, shows a seven-ring labyrinth marked with the word TRUIA (which may refer to Troy). To its left, two armed soldiers appear to be riding out of the labyrinth on horseback, while on the right two couples are shown copulating. The vase dates from about 630 BC.[2] The ancient Roman equestrian event known as the "Troy Game", which involved riding in maze-like patterns, has sometimes been linked to this vase.[3]
- ^ Matthews, W. H (1922). Mazes and labyrinths, a general account of their history and developments. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 457464540.
- ^ Kern, Hermann (2001). Through the Labyrinth. Prestel. pp. 78–80. ISBN 9783791321448. Kern's discussion of the vase points out that there are other interpretations of the inscription TRUIA and of the figures.
- ^ Harmon, Daniel P. (1988). "The Religious Significance of Games in the Roman Age". In Raschke, Wendy J. (ed.). The Archaeology of the Olympics: Olympics and Other Festivals in Antiquity. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 250. ISBN 0299113345.