Linear B is a syllabic script used in Mycenaean Greece, including Crete (then controlled by Mycenaean rulers). The clay tablets have been found in palatial centres, the main sites being Mycenae, Thebes, Pylos and Knossos in Crete. Most tablets are dated between the 14th and 13th centuries BC, and most were preserved in fires that destroyed the buildings in which they were kept. They are administrative accounts and the language they record is an early form of Greek. The script itself doesn't seem to fit Greek well - it is actually an adaptation by the Greek-speaking Mycenaeans of the non-Greek Linear A script used by the Minoans in Crete around 1750-1450 BC (which, in turn, may have been derived from the even earlier pictographic or hieroglyphic script, also found in Crete, in use around 1900-1600 BC). The two earlier scripts (pictographic/hieroglyphic and Linear A) have not been deciphered. (You can find out more about what the tablets reveal about the Mycenaeans here.)
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(Source: Index) Read the article on Archaeology Daily. Note: This is the first time I've heard that Pericles died of typhoid fever. He died in the 'plague' (an unidentified disease according to my course books and the lectures I've heard) that swept through Athens during the Peloponnesian War, killing many. The Archaeology Daily article mentions that it was identified as typhoid in 2006. Apparently my A275 coursebook (The World of Athens) and A219 coursebook (The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilisation) are 4 years behind! |
AuthorHave studied A219 Exploring the Classical World and A275 Reading Classical Greek at the Open University. Currently studying for a Psychology degree. ImagesPlease click on any image to be taken to its source.
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