The PATH classification tree organizes viable non-maze labyrinth topological types through a hierarchy of structural criteria. Viability is established separately through the Principles of Form. The classification tree then distinguishes and organizes viable types according to their structural characteristics and relationships.
The classification hierarchy organizes labyrinths from broad structural distinctions to increasingly specific characteristics, culminating in individual topological types.
Domain → Centers → Axes → Class → Subclass → Circuits → Group → Type
The PATH classification hierarchy distinguishes labyrinths through progressively more specific structural characteristics. Domain situates labyrinths within the broader category of path systems, distinguishing labyrinths from mazes and from path systems that do not meet the defining conditions of either. Centers distinguishes monocentric and polycentric systems, while Axes distinguishes systems according to their axial organization. Class and Subclass organize labyrinths according to major and more specific characteristics of path structure.
Within a subclass, Circuits distinguishes structures by the number of circuit levels. Group organizes related topological types through applicable symmetry transformations, including base, dual, transpose, and complement relationships. Type identifies an individual viable topological structure.
Some structural characteristics function as classification criteria without constituting separate levels of the hierarchy. These include features such as movement pattern, path configuration, and main axis crossings, which help determine placement within a class or subclass.
See Principles of Form for the conditions used to determine labyrinth viability and Conceptual Model for the relationship among underlying structure, topological type, and labyrinth expression.
First published: September 2025
Last revised: September 2026