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.) Linear B contains 89 different signs representing (a) bare vowels and (b) so-called open syllables (consonant + vowel, e.g. PU-). It follows that the word "Pylos", for example, can only be spelt in an awkward way, with no symbol corresponding to the final "s". There is another problem with spelling "Pylos": there is no distinction between L and R in Linear B (or between G and K or P and B, for that matter). So "Pylos" (or its dative, Pyloi, meaning 'at Pylos') becomes PU-RO. Consonant clusters at the beginning of a word can only be represented by using an open syllable in which the vowel will be redundant, e.g. Pselloio ('of Psellos') will be spelt PE-SE-RO-JO (this method could be used with final consonants as well, but instead, most final consonants are simply omitted). The script also contains a number of ideograms (e.g. stick figures, schematic images of common objects) and some symbols for diphthongs. You can find all the details here. The DAMOS Project at the University of Oslo aims at publishing all the known Linear B texts online and at creating a searchable database. This means that it will be possible for the general public to study the extant Linear B corpus from the comfort of their homes without having to invest in heavy tomes or international travel (you may need to register and get a password first though). At the moment, you can only find the description of the project on the website, which emphasizes the linguistic evidence the tablets (and in some cases, vases) provide; but the research participants have confirmed that it is a live project and that they are planning to publish the first texts in March 2012. (Update 16 July 2012: I have recently checked the site and some screenshots have been published so far.)
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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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