The Undeciphered Signs of Linear B : Interpretation and Scribal Practices

Provides valuable insights into the development and use of the Linear B writing system and important methodological advances in investigating the Linear B texts' chronology and the activities of their writers. Of value to classicists, Mycenaean Greek archaeologists, and linguists working on writing systems.

"Decades after Michael Ventris deciphered Linear B and showed that its language was Greek, nearly one-sixth of the sound-values of its syllabic signs are still unknown. This book offers a new approach to establishing the possible values of these undeciphered signs. Analysis of Linear B''s structure and usage not only establishes the most likely sound-values of these signs - 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 into the world of the Mycenaean palaces"--