Mediterranean Bronze Age - Brown University...Mediterranean Bronze Age Dr Elissa Faro April 2, 2008...

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…