The Undeciphered Signs of Linear B
Interpretation and Scribal Practices

Ground-breaking analysis of the Linear B undeciphered signs shedding light on the writing system and the activities of its writers.

Anna P. Judson (Author)

9781108796910, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 23 March 2023

374 pages, 187 b/w illus. 2 maps 22 tables
24.5 x 17 x 2 cm, 0.656 kg

'This study represents a thorough and skillful handling of disparate evidence. The linguistic discussion of sound values is rich, but not myopic, and writing is understood as a human practice, rather than the disembodied representation of phonemes. The careful study of palaeographic variants, with an eye to testing old hypotheses, represents a valuable model for future studies of Linear B.' Theodore Nash, Rhea Classical Review

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Classical Greek & Roman archaeology [HDDK], Archaeology [HD], Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF], Linguistics [CF], Language: history & general works [CBX], Language [C]