This small gold seal was excavated by Spyridon Marinatos in a tomb at Routsi, in the southern Peloponnese, near Pylos, Greece, 1958-1959.
The subject is the agony of a wild bull caught in a human-made net. As the animal struggles for its life and freedom, it is held tightly by its horns and subjugated by a skilled male hunter. It is a masterpiece of Minoan origin executed c. 1550 BCE.