Mazes and Labyrinths

For thousands of years, the fascinating image of the labyrinth has held an important place in human consciousness. Mazes and labyrinths are the meeting-places of symbolism, myth, ritual, art and architecture. From the ancient rock carvings of northern Europe, the famed labyrinths of ancient Egypt and Crete, to the pavements of medieval cathedrals and the turf mazes of village greens, the form of the labyrinth has been a symbol across time. They appeared in renaissance gardens and as the puzzling hedge-mazes of formal gardens. In the late twentieth century there was a revival of interest, leading to the many labyrinths that exist worldwide today. In this book, Nigel Pennick guides the reader through the history and symbolism of a fascinating form of art that links us with the most ancient times and the inner reaches of our consciousness.