Homestead Labyrinth

Homestead Labyrinth. . , The Labyrinth, Homestead Labyrinth , June 2009 , Lorraine Vullo - Artist , American: born 1959 , Hand-cut cobblestone, engraved concrete, grass, earth, The Homestead Labyrinth follows the design of a medieval eleven-ring labyrinth. It is located on the banks of the Monongahela River, on land where the Homestead Steel Works once stood. In 1892, at the Pump House adjacent to this site, members of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers clashed with Pinkerton Agents hired by the Carnegie Steel Company in the Battle of Homestead. Ten men lost their lives in this historic battle., Unlike the traditional symbolic western entrance of most medieval labyrinths, the Homestead Labyrinth faces 123 degrees ESE, the location of the moon at the moment of Ms. Vullo's son's birth., A History of Labyrinths, Labyrinths have a history that can be traced back over 4000 years. The earliest examples, found carved on rocks, or scratched on walls or pottery, all have the same design - the classical labyrinth symbol. This design was taken by the Romans and new forms were created for use on mosaic floors throughout the Roman Empire. Further developed during medieval times, the labyrinth design then appeared on the floors of the Gothic cathedrals of Europe, on village greens and hilltops, on remote coastlines and islands in Scandinavia, up to the Arctic circle and beyond., Labyrinths have been a potent symbol in many cultures, signifying new meanings and purposes for thousands of years. Roman mosaics often depicted labyrinths as fortified cities, while in medieval Europe they symbolized the one true path to Christian salvation. They have been used as ceremonial pathways, protective sigils (a symbol created for a specific magical purpose), traps for unwelcome spirits and for games and dancing. Found at different points in time and in different cultures, this symbol continues to create new forms, new derivations, and new meanings., Images and text courtesy of Jeff Seward www.labyrinthos.net, (Sidebar):, In place of the traditional lunations that sometimes border this style of labyrinth, there are three different sizes and colors of hand-made concrete triangles representing the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio Rivers. The name of a mill, foundry or furnace that stands, or once stood, on that river is engraved on each triangle. These lunations honor the men and women who came from all over the world to live and work here., (Captions):, Homestead Labyrinth, 2009 , Courtesy of Brian Kerr, Pittsburgh Industrial Map , Rivers of Steel Archives, The Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth , Chartres, France, Labyrinth Petroglyph , Pansaimol, Goa, Stone Labyrinth , Vaasa, Finland, Theseus and Minotaur Mosiac , Rhaetia, Switzerland