Linear B Script

The Linear B script is a syllabic writing system that was used to transcribe Mycenaean Greek, the earliest recorded form of the Greek language. Emerging in the late Bronze Age, around 1450 BCE, Linear B predated the Greek alphabet by several centuries. The script is derived from the earlier Linear A, an undeciphered writing system used by the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete.

Origin and Use

Linear B was primarily utilized in the palace bureaucracies of Mycenaean civilization, with notable sites including Knossos on Crete and Pylos on the Peloponnese Peninsula. The script was inscribed on clay tablets and various ceremonial objects, serving administrative and economic purposes such as recording inventory, transactions, and resource management.

Decipherment

The decipherment of Linear B is credited to English architect and linguist Michael Ventris, who solved the script in 1952, extending upon earlier foundational work by American classicist Alice Kober. Ventris's breakthrough established that the language recorded in Linear B was an archaic form of Greek, reshaping the understanding of prehistoric Greece and its linguistic history.

Structure and Characteristics

Linear B comprises approximately 87 syllabic signs, supplemented by a range of ideograms for specific items and commodities. Unlike alphabets, each sign in Linear B represents a syllable rather than an individual phoneme. This characteristic underscores its adaptation from Linear A, aligning it with Aegean scripts such as the Cypriot syllabary.

Archaeological Context

The discovery of Linear B tablets in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially at Knossos and Pylos, was pivotal in understanding Mycenaean administration and culture. These findings also highlighted the script's function in the centralized recording systems of the Mycenaean palaces.

Disappearance and Legacy

The collapse of Mycenaean civilization around 1200 BCE led to the abandonment of Linear B, alongside the palace structures that had sustained its usage. This decline marks a transition into the Greek Dark Ages, during which linear scripts were largely forgotten until the emergence of the alphabetic writing systems.

Related Topics

• Minoan Civilization
• Mycenaean Greek
• Michael Ventris
• Alice Kober
• Bronze Age Aegean Scripts
• Greek Language History

The legacy of Linear B remains significant as it provides insight into the early stages of Greek language development and the administration of Mycenaean society, illustrating the complexity and reach of the ancient Aegean civilizations.