What were the games with the bull in the courtyard of the Cretan palace? How do we know about these games?

These games became known thanks to a fragment of a fresco that was discovered during excavations of the Palace of Knossos. This find dates back to the 1st half of the 15th century BC. e. The fresco depicts tavrokatapsia. It is believed that this rite has a religious meaning and is associated with the cult of the bull, which was popular in Crete. The essence of the ritual is jumping over a running bull. A fragment of the fresco is also called “Acrobats with a Bull”. To perform such actions, a person must have enviable dexterity and strength. It is believed that successful jumps symbolized the victory of man over the strength of the bull.