Known as Linear B, this script was deciphered in 1952 by the British architect Michael Ventris and the British classicist and linguist John Chadwick
Where did Linear B come from?
Linear B is the name for the late Minoan script which was first found on clay tablets and sealings in the second palace at Knossos on Crete . These early tablets survived because they were baked in the fire which burned down the palace.
Who created Linear B?
Known as Linear B, this script was deciphered in 1952 by the British architect Michael Ventris and the British classicist and linguist John Chadwick . At present more than 100 very short Linear B inscriptions painted on vases have been found in Crete and in continental Greece (e.g.,...
Who was responsible for deciphering Linear B?
Alice Kober : Unsung heroine who helped decode Linear B. Linear B is an ancient European Bronze Age script, dating back 3,500 years. When a British architect finally cracked it in the 1950s, he was hailed as a genius – but he may never have succeeded had it not been for a woman on the other side of the Atlantic.
Who created Linear A?
In December 1963, Gregory Nagy of Harvard University developed a list of Linear A and Linear B terms based on the assumption “that signs of identical or similar shape in the two scripts will represent similar or identical phonetic values”; Nagy concluded that the language of Linear A bears “Greek-like” and Indo- ...
What is the difference between Linear A and Linear B?
Linear A is attested in Crete and on some Aegean islands from approximately 1850 bc to 1400 bc. ... Linear B is an adapted form of Linear A, which was borrowed from the Minoans by the Mycenaean Greeks, probably about 1600 bc. Its language is the Mycenaean Greek dialect.
When did Linear B stop being used?
1200 BCE, the use of the Linear B script gradually diminished until it was fully abandoned around 1100 BCE . Literacy was completely lost in the Greek world until its return during the 8th century BCE, with the emergence of a new writing system: the Greek alphabet.
What was written in Linear B?
| Linear B | Unicode range U +10000 –U+1007F Syllabary U+10080–U+100FF Ideograms |
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Who destroyed the Mycenaean civilization?
The Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations were destroyed by new arrivals from Macedonia and Epirus . This new group of Greeks, called the Dorians, settled in the war ravaged lands and developed their civilization.
Who is acknowledged to finally deciphered Linear B?
| Michael Ventris OBE | Occupation Architect | Known for Decipherment of Linear B | Spouse(s) Lois Ventris (née Knox-Niven) | Children 2 |
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Was the Iliad written in Linear B?
The Mycenaean civilization flourished in Greece and the surrounding islands in the Aegean Sea around 1400 b.c., during the era Homer depicted in his epics the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Mycenaean language was written in a script known as Linear B.
Is linear a translated?
The puzzle of Linear A has tormented linguists for many decades, as they attempted to link it somehow to Linear B, which was translated successfully for the first time in the 1950s. ... Linear A, which was used by the Minoans during the Bronze Age, exists on at least 1,400 known inscriptions made on clay tablets.
Did Minoans write language?
| Minoan | Era About 1800–1450 BC | Language family unclassified | Writing system Cretan hieroglyphs, Linear A | Language codes |
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What was the largest city of the Mycenaeans?
The largest city (although not a capital city in any sense) was Mycenae , built on an impressive citadel and hill over 278 metres (912 ft.) above sea level where there are remains of large ‘palace’ buildings and hundreds of tombs and shaft graves, including nine large stone tholos tombs (1600-1300 BCE).
Which civilization is known as the first Greeks?
The earliest settlers mostly lived a simple hunter-gatherer or farming lifestyle. The Minoans were the first great Greek civilisation. They didn’t live on mainland Greece but on the nearby island of Crete, between 2200BC and 1450BC. They were known as the Minoans after their legendary king, Minos.
