Decades after Michael Ventris deciphered Linear B and showed that its language was Greek, nearly one-sixth of its syllabic signs' sound-values are still unknown. This book offers a new approach to establishing these undeciphered signs' possible values. Analysis of Linear B's structure and usage not only establishes these signs' most likely sound-values – providing the best possible basis for future decipherments – but also sheds light on the writing system as a whole. The undeciphered signs are also used to explore the evidence provided by palaeography for the chronology of the Linear B documents and the activities of the Mycenaean scribes. The conclusions presented in this book therefore deepen our understanding not only of the undeciphered signs but also of the Linear B writing system as a whole, the texts it was used to write, and the insight these documents bring us into the world of the Mycenaean palaces. A colour version of figures 5.1-5.4 of chapter 5 can be found under the 'Resources' tab.
- Establishes an accurate and up-to-date corpus of the Linear B undeciphered signs
- The first complete analysis of the undeciphered signs which takes into account their place within the syllabary as a whole
- Wide-ranging analysis of the development and use of the Linear B writing system
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Product details
- Date Published: March 2023
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781108796910
- length: 372 pages
- dimensions: 244 x 170 x 20 mm
- weight: 0.721kg
- contains: 187 b/w illus. 2 maps 22 tables
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
1. The (ongoing) decipherment of Linear B
2. Identifying 'missing' values in the Linear B syllabary
3. The undeciphered signs inherited from Linear A
4. The undeciphered signs with no certain Linear A correspondences
5. Exploring the potential of palaeography with the undeciphered signs
Conclusions
Appendix: corpus of attestations of the undeciphered signs.
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Author
Anna P. Judson, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Anna P. Judson is a Research Fellow in Classics at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. Her Ph.D. thesis on the undeciphered signs of Linear B won the University of Cambridge's Hare Prize for the best Classics thesis. She is now researching the writing practices of the Mycenaean scribes.