Extract

Ariadne, daughter of *Minos and Pasiphaë. In Cnossus *Daedalus built her a dancing-floor (Il. 18. 592), perhaps the Daidaleion on Linear B tablet KN Fpl. She fell in love with *Theseus and gave him a thread of wool to escape from the *Labyrinth after killing the Minotaur. Theseus fled with Ariadne but abandoned her on *Naxos (1) either by choice or because the gods commanded him. *Dionysus found and married her there. In another version, Ariadne was already married to Dionysus when she followed Theseus and was killed by Artemis on Dia (Naxos) (Od. 11. 321–5; Hes. Theog.947–9). Ariadne also had a tomb in the temple of Cretan Dionysus in *Argos (1) (Paus. 2. 23. 7–8). According to one tradition (Paeon of Amathus in Plutarch, Thes.20) she came to Cyprus pregnant by Theseus who left her there. She died in childbed and was buried in the grove of Ariadne Aphrodite. At a curious annual rite in her honour at *Amathus, a young man imitated a woman in labour.