Post on 31-Mar-2020
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…