Julie E Bounford - The Curious History of Mazes: 4,000 Years of Fascinating Twists and Turns: With Over 100 Intriguing Puzzles to Solve

All Mathematics would suggest

A steady straight line as the best,

But left and right alternately

Is consonant with History.

from The Labyrinth by W.H. Auden

T he curious history of mazes does not run in a steady straight line, but, instead, begins with the labyrinth: a simple motif that is no doubt familiar to us all. With its true origins still shrouded in mystery, the chronicle of the labyrinth, and more recently of the maze, spans the past four thousand years, taking many twists and turns. This book introduces archetypes that have emerged over the centuries, serving different symbolic, ritualistic, and practical purposes worldwide. As such, the labyrinth is embedded in our psyche as a powerful symbol of the human experience, and in this book we examine form, function, fulfillment, and fun. There are many intriguing aspects to this marvelous history. Not least that the very word maze, which is so often used interchangeably with labyrinth, is not as old as its companionalthough both have multiple derivations.

The Roman poet Virgil, in 2919 BCE, brings them together in The Aeneid and describes the labyrinth as having, a path woven with blind walks. It is a bewildering work of craft with a thousand ways where the tokens of the course were confused by the indiscoverable and irretraceable maze. A seminal work of Western literature, this poem is imbued with labyrinthine leitmotif in its narrative structure, imagery, and ideas. It brings together themes such as ambiguity, confusion, uncertain choices, and the search for a clear path. Much later, in Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales (13871400 CE) we find examples of early English usage that also combine these themes. People are in a state of masednesse. That is, they are puzzled or bewildered: Ye mase, ye masen goode sire, quod she, This thank have I for I have made to you. (The Merchants Tale).

With this curious history I do not aim to mase, but I do invite you to explore the evolution of labyrinths and mazes through time and across continents. There are some surprises along the way as we reinterpret historical artifacts such as Arthur Bernard Deacons 1926 labyrinthine illustration of a turtle sand drawing from the island of Malekula in the New Hebrides. You are also invited to solve many puzzles included throughout the following pages, in which some famous mazes are reproduced, so there is no need to travel to Chartres in France or Hampton Court Palace in England. They are here in this book, drawn by illustrator Trevor Bounford, for you to contemplate, trace, and solve at your leisure, time and time again if you like, along with other well-known examples. I also present a collection of new puzzle mazes created exclusively for this book. The levels of difficulty vary and suit a wide range of abilities. You are invited to tackle one and all, and in doing so you may wish to consider the advice of English maze master, Greg Bright, who writes in his groundbreaking 1973 Maze Book:

I suggest the best way to follow the paths is with the aid of a match-stick. The reader will probably get the most out of a maze by treating his journey as if he were walking it, refraining from jumping back to the start and from one point to another, and from trying with his eyes to work the route back from the end. A method that prevents accidentally crossing lines is to place tracing paper over the maze and mark in your journey. An experiment one can try is to make a small hole in the center of a large sheet of paper, place the paper over the maze and follow the route using this restricted view. This method makes exploring the maze closer to actually walking it.

Mazes are for those who want to tune in to their innate sense of curiosity. Meditate, learn, and reconnect with your sense of fun.