Linear B

Linear B

Linear B is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. It predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries and was primarily used during the 13th and 14th centuries BCE. The script was deciphered in 1952 by Michael Ventris, an architect and amateur linguist, with the assistance of John Chadwick, a classical scholar.

History

Linear B was developed from the earlier Linear A script, which was used by the Minoan civilization on Crete. The Mycenaeans adapted Linear A to suit their own language, which was an early form of Greek. The script was used primarily for administrative purposes, as evidenced by the thousands of clay tablets found at sites such as Knossos, Pylos, and Mycenae.

Structure

Linear B is a syllabary, meaning that each symbol represents a syllable rather than a single phoneme as in an alphabet. The script consists of around 87 syllabic signs and over 100 ideographic signs. The syllabic signs represent open syllables (consonant-vowel combinations), while the ideograms are used to convey specific objects or commodities, often related to economic transactions.

Decipherment

The decipherment of Linear B was a significant achievement in the field of linguistics and archaeology. Michael Ventris, building on the work of previous scholars such as Alice Kober, hypothesized that Linear B was an early form of Greek. By analyzing the frequency and distribution of symbols, Ventris was able to identify patterns that corresponded to known Greek words. His breakthrough came when he identified the word "tripod" in a series of tablets, confirming the Greek nature of the language.

Significance

The decipherment of Linear B provided valuable insights into the Mycenaean civilization, revealing aspects of their economy, society, and administration. The tablets primarily record inventories, transactions, and offerings, indicating a highly organized bureaucratic system. The use of Linear B ceased with the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization around 1100 BCE, and the script was forgotten until its rediscovery in the 20th century.

Also see

• Linear A
• Mycenaean Greek
• Michael Ventris
• John Chadwick
• Knossos
• Pylos
• Mycenae