Linear B
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- This article is about the ancient syllabary. See linear b for information on the ECMAScript engine.
Linear B is a script that was used for writing Mycenaean, an early form of the Greek language.
It occurs primarily on tablets dated from the 14th and 13th centuries BC. The script was derived from an earlier script (Linear A) used for writing the Minoan language and thus does not accurately represent the sounds of the Mycenaean language. It is partly syllabic, with additional logographic signs (that are "determinative", or "designational") (yielding "classes", and "types").
The first Clay tablet at Knossos was discovered by the British archaeologist Arthur Evans on March 31, 1900 and on April 6 he discovered a significant hoard of tablets (measuring 5x10 inches).
Translation
Michael Ventris and John Chadwick deciphered Linear B between 1951-1953. Before their work, Alice Kober had studied Linear B and had managed to construct grids, linking symbols that seemed to have a strong grammatical relationship. Based on her work, and after making some inspired assumptions, Ventris was able to figure out the pronunciation of the syllables. The deciphering of Linear B proved that it was a written form of Greek, to the amazement of Ventris himself, but also in direct contradiction to the general scientific views of the times. The consequences of Ventris' discovery were of immense significance, because he actually showed that a Greek-speaking Minoan-Mycenaean culture existed on Crete. The earlier, purely Minoan language of Linear A continues to resist translation.Syllabic signs
Linear B has roughly 200 signs, divided into syllabic signs with phonetic values and logograms (or ideograms) with semantic values.Linear B is assigned Unicode Range 10000-1007F for syllabic signs and 10080-100FF for logograms.
| -a | -e | -i | -o | -u | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 𐀀 a | 𐀁 e | 𐀂 i | 𐀃 o | 𐀄 u | |
| d- | 𐀅 da | 𐀆 de | 𐀇 di | 𐀈 do | 𐀉 du |
| j- | 𐀊 ja | 𐀋 je | 𐀍 jo | 𐀎 ju | |
| k- | 𐀏 ka | 𐀐 ke | 𐀑 ki | 𐀒 ko | 𐀓 ku |
| m- | 𐀔 ma | 𐀕 me | 𐀖 mi | 𐀗 mo | 𐀘 mu |
| n- | 𐀙 na | 𐀚 ne | 𐀛 ni | 𐀜 no | 𐀝 nu |
| p- | 𐀞 pa | 𐀟 pe | 𐀠 pi | 𐀡 po | 𐀢 pu |
| q- | 𐀣 qa | 𐀤 qe | 𐀥 qi | 𐀦 qo | |
| r- | 𐀨 ra | 𐀩 re | 𐀪 ri | 𐀫 ro | 𐀬 ru |
| s- | 𐀭 sa | 𐀮 se | 𐀯 si | 𐀰 so | 𐀱 su |
| t- | 𐀲 ta | 𐀳 te | 𐀴 ti | 𐀵 to | 𐀶 tu |
| w- | 𐀷 wa | 𐀸 we | 𐀹 wi | 𐀺 wo | |
| z- | 𐀼 za | 𐀽 ze | 𐀿 zo |
The names of these signs are only roughly phonetical, since most are used to represent a whole class of syllables each, see Mycenaean language. There are some additional, mostly rare, syllabic signs, the values of some of which are unknown or disputed. They are referred to either by a number, or by some hypothetical phonetic approximation, for example a2, a3, au, nwa, pu2, etc.
Logograms
Due to the nature of the texts preserved, logographic representations of items counted are very frequent. Not all of their values are known, and their pronunciation is, at best, the object of educated guessing.The logograms represent concepts such as MAN, WOMAN, COW, BULL, OIL, WINE, CLOTH, GOLD, BRONZE etc. There are several dozen signs representing various kinds of pots and vessels. (Example: tripod, for Pylos: ti-ri-po-de; for Mycenae: ti-ri-po-di-ho, followed by the logogram for 3-footed pot. Most "tri-pods", may have been 3-footed cooking tripod-pots, sitting within a fire.)
Summary of Archeology, Crete, Linear B
The major cities, and "palaces" of Crete, kept annual, yearly, or other{ ? ) records, for disbursements of goods. Wool, sheep, and grain were some common items, often given to groups of religious people, and also groups of "men watching the coastline". It is known that the tablets were kept in groups, and in baskets on shelves, because some of the palaces burned, see Knossos, and/or earthquake and volcanic events, also precipitated largescale fires. The fires, from catastrophes, made "fired-clay tablets", of a percentage of the tablets found. Impressions of the basket weaving, have been left in the clay.See also
Further reading
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}}??2}}}} |. }} The Decipherment of Linear B.
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}}}}}} |. }} Linear B and Related Scripts; "Reading the Past". has the Enkomi clay tablet, circa 1500 BCE., examples of Linear B tablets, and translated, the basic Linear B syllabary, the Cypriot syllabary and discussions thereof, and short sections on Linear A, and the Phaistos Disk.
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}}}}}} |. }} The Mycenaean World.
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}}}}}} |. }} The Story of Writing. Chapter 6, Linear B, pp 108-119: discusses Arthur Evans, his work, the Cypriot clues, the syllabary, Alice Kober, the "Grid", and a sample tablet transliterated, and translated into English.
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}}}}}} |. }} Documents in Mycenaean Greek.
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- for a general outline of the Linear B deciphering story, from Schliemman to Chadwick.