The oldest known image of the labyrinth dates back to 1200 BC. Its author lived in the Peloponnese. Not far from the island of Crete, where later, according to Athenian mythology, the inventor Daedalus, the father of the winged Icarus, built a labyrinth for King Minos. In it, Theseus defeated the Minotaur and was able, with the help of Ariadne's thread, to return back.
For lovers of diving and marine aquariums, it is obvious that the Greeks spied an intricate ornament in the corals of the Merulinidae family. There is a double analogy in the name of the species: the maze moves repeat the convolutions of the human brain, which in turn resemble colonies of polyps fused with furrows.
Of all types of corals, the corals are distinguished by the closest connection of individual individuals. Their intestinal cavities coalesce into a single system of channels. The skeletons of dead organisms form the foundation to which new ones are attached. The older the coral colony, the larger the spherical shape it forms.
One such "head" can reach two meters in diameter and the age of the Old Testament forefathers, which is 900 years. Each individual polyp does not exceed a centimeter and lives for two years. So, the brainiac is able to contain the "memory" of 450 generations.
In Homer's Iliad (Canto 18), the labyrinth in Crete is repeated in the round dance ritual:
"In the same place, Hephaestus famously performed a round dance of sorts,
He is equal to him, like the ancient one in the widely arranged Knossos
The cunning Daedalus made Ariadne the beautiful-haired.
Young men here and blooming maidens, desired by many,
They dance, in a round-shaped chorus, kindly intertwining their hands."
From the height of Icarus, the "round dances" on the surface of the brain and the ancient ritual described by the poet are almost indistinguishable. The Greeks gave the natural phenomenon a symbolic meaning of visualizing the path of life – from birth through the twists and dead ends of fate to the center. There is a "portal" to the astral world of peace and quiet.
Since ancient times, it is not by chance that people preferred to settle in places where the coastline is inhabited by hard corals. It's not about diving at all. These marine animals are able to absorb wave energy almost completely. During severe storms, the neighborhood with them saved the inhabitants of the Mediterranean no worse than modern breakwaters.
History, as you know, moves in a spiral. Today, the University of California recommends the right old means to protect the shores – coral reefs. The science of the 21st century has learned to help them spread. The project turned out to be very effective. The cost of one square meter of concrete breakwater is about 20 thousand US dollars. The same amount of "live construction" costs less than $1300. Fifteen-fold savings.
Corals at one time saved coastal settlements, inspired ancient artists and philosophers. After more than three thousand years, Homo sapiens had the opportunity to perform a reciprocal good deed, besides earning at the same time.