Mediterranean Bronze AgeDr Elissa Faro

April 2, 2008

Guest Lecture 24

Prof. John Cherry

What Can We Learn

from Linear B?

Palace of Nestor

at Pylos

Tablet P641 —

the “tripod” tablet

that decisively

confirmed the

decipherment of

Linear B as Greek

ti-ri-po-de =

Greek tripodes

(a vase with

“three feet”, i.e.

a tripod

Linear B deciphered as an early form of Greek

by Michael Ventris and John Chadwick in 1952

Many of the signs in the

Minoan Linear script…

…were adapted in

Mycenaean Linear B

to write the Greek language

Linear B

Syllabograms

Linear B

Ideograms

Knossos tablet Co 907

Listing sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle

A Knossos Chariot Tablet (Sc230)

to-ra-ke

thorakes

“corslets”

cf. thorax

i-qo

hippos

“horse”

cf. hippodrome

i-qi-ja wo-ka

“wheeled chariot”

Plan of Palace of Knossos, showing major findspots of Linear B tablets

Organization of the Textile Industry at Linear B Knossos

Pylos Ng02

De-we-ro ai-ko-ra-i-ja SA 1239

To-sa-de o-u-di-do-to SA 457

[Those from this side of Aigaleon: 1239 units of linen

and so many have not been contributed: 457 units of linen]

Pylos Ng01

Pe-ra3-ko-ra-i-ja SA 200[+

To-sa-de o-u-di-do-to [SA ?]

[Those from beyond Aigaleon: 200 units of linen

and so many have not been contributed: ?? units of linen]

Evidence for a “hither” and “further” division of the

Mycenaean kingdom of Pylos

The western part of the territory of the Palace of Nestor at Pylos (at )

The Mt. Aigaleon range in the distance

Part of Pylos tablet Jn09 + 829

…

me-ta-pa ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

pe-to-no ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

pa-ki-ja-pi ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

pe-to-no ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

a-pu2?-we ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

[a]-ke-re-wa ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

ro-u-so ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

[ka]-ra-do-ro ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

[ri]-jo ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

[ti]-mi-to a-ke-e ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

[ra]-wa-ra-ta2 ko-re-te BRONZE 3.75 kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

[sa]-ma-ra ko-re-te BRONZE 3.75 kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

[a]-sija-ti-ja ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

e-ra-te-re-wa-pi ko-re-te BRONZE 2kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

za-ma-e-wi-ja ko-re-te BRONZE 3.75 kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

e-re-i ko-re-te BRONZE 3.75 kg po-ro-ko-re-te BRONZE 750 gm

Linear B tablet Tn316

The “Cup-bearer” fresco at Knossos

Knossos tablet Fp1In the month of Deukios:

To the Diktaian Zeus: 12 liters of oil

To Daidaleion: 24 liters of oil

To Pa-de: 12 liters of oil

To all the gods: 36 liters of oil

To the augur?: 12 liters of oil

At Amnisos, to all the gods: 24 liters of oil

To Erinus?: 6 liters of oil

To *47-da-: 2 liters of oil

To the priestess of the winds: 8 liters of

oil

Total: 136 liters of oil

Knossos tablet Gg704In the month of…?

One jar on honey to the Earthshaker

Knossos tablet Gg705At Amnisos: one jar of honey to Eleuthia

One jar of honey to all the gods

One jar of honey…