Linear B and related scripts / John Chadwick.

By:

Chadwick, John, 1920-1998 [author]

Material type: Text

TextPublication details: London : British Museum, c1987.Description: 64 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmContent type:

text

Media type:

unmediated

Carrier type:

volume

ISBN:

0714180688

Other title:

Reading the past : Linear B and related scripts

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

481.7

Contents:

The Discovery of Linear B -- The decipherment -- How the Linear B script was used -- The tablets as historical documents -- Linear A -- The Cypriot connection -- The Phaistos disk -- The location of inscriptions.

Summary: "Long before Homer a script was in use in Greece which is quite unrelated to the alphabet. The kings of Mycenaean Greece kept their accounts on clay tablets written in a script now known as Minoan Linear B. In 1952 this was deciphered and shown to conceal an early form of the Greek language. This book tells the story of how Linear B was discovered, deciphered and interpreted, so that we can now read the administrative documents of these small prehistoric states. Two related scripts are also discussed: Linear A, the forerunner of Linear B, but used for a language which is still unknown, and a Cypriot script which, borrowed from Linear A, is equally enigmatic. Many interpretations have been put forward for these scripts but until more tablets are discovered their mystery will remain unsolved." -- Back cover.

List(s) this item appears in: Anne Stewart's Collection

Holdings ( 1 )
Title notes ( 4 )

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds
Book - 7-day loan	CYA Library Main Collection	481.7 CHA (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Available		00000011578

Total holds: 0

Includes index.

Bibliography: page 63.

"Long before Homer a script was in use in Greece which is quite unrelated to the alphabet. The kings of Mycenaean Greece kept their accounts on clay tablets written in a script now known as Minoan Linear B. In 1952 this was deciphered and shown to conceal an early form of the Greek language. This book tells the story of how Linear B was discovered, deciphered and interpreted, so that we can now read the administrative documents of these small prehistoric states.
Two related scripts are also discussed: Linear A, the forerunner of Linear B, but used for a language which is still unknown, and a Cypriot script which, borrowed from Linear A, is equally enigmatic. Many interpretations have been put forward for these scripts but until more tablets are discovered their mystery will remain unsolved." -- Back cover.