Linear B

E192255

Linear B is an ancient syllabic script used to write Mycenaean Greek, making it the earliest known form of written Greek.

All labels observed (9)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient script ⓘ
syllabic script ⓘ
writing system ⓘ
archaeologicalSite Chania ⓘ
Knossos ⓘ
Mycenae ⓘ
linked to: Mycenae and Tiryns

Pylos ⓘ
Thebes ⓘ
Tiryns ⓘ
linked to: Mycenae and Tiryns
associatedCivilization Mycenaean civilization ⓘ
category Bronze Age writing system ⓘ
decipheredBy Michael Ventris ⓘ
deciphermentContributor John Chadwick ⓘ
deciphermentMethod structural analysis and comparison with Greek ⓘ
deciphermentYear 1952 ⓘ
derivedFrom Linear A ⓘ
earliestAttestation circa 1450 BCE ⓘ
earliestFormOf written Greek ⓘ
geographicRegion Aegean region ⓘ
linked to: Aegean Sea region

Crete ⓘ
Peloponnese ⓘ
mainland Greece ⓘ
linked to: Greek mainland
hasSignType logograms ⓘ
numerals ⓘ
syllabic signs ⓘ
hasUnicodeBlock Linear B Ideograms ⓘ
linked to: Linear B

Linear B Syllabary ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
influenced study of Greek historical linguistics ⓘ
ISO15924Code Linb ⓘ
languageWritten Mycenaean Greek ⓘ
latestAttestation circa 1200 BCE ⓘ
materialForm clay tablets ⓘ
inscribed stirrup jars ⓘ
notUsedFor literary texts ⓘ
numberOfSyllabicSignsApprox about 87 ⓘ
primaryUse administrative records ⓘ
economic records ⓘ
reasonForPreservation accidental firing in palace destructions ⓘ
scriptContinuity predecessorOfDebatedRelationTo ⓘ
scriptFamily Aegean scripts ⓘ
linked to: Cretan hieroglyphs
scriptUsageContext palatial bureaucracy ⓘ
timePeriodUsed circa 15th century BCE to 12th century BCE ⓘ
UnicodeRange U+10000–U+1007F ⓘ
U+10080–U+100FF ⓘ
usesScriptType syllabary ⓘ
writingDirection left-to-right ⓘ
writingMedium wet clay impressed with stylus ⓘ
writingSystemFor Mycenaean Greek ⓘ
writingSystemStatus deciphered ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (46)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Linear B inscriptions → writtenInScript → Linear B script ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Greek language → writingSystemUsedIn → Linear B (for Mycenaean Greek) ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Mycenaean Greek → writingSystem → Linear B ⓘ
Knossos → associatedScript → Linear B ⓘ
Supplementary Multilingual Plane → contains → Linear B Syllabary block ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Supplementary Multilingual Plane → contains → Linear B Ideograms block ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Unicode 4.1 → addsBlock → Linear B Syllabary ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Unicode 4.1 → addsBlock → Linear B Ideograms ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Linear B → hasUnicodeBlock → Linear B Syllabary ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Linear B → hasUnicodeBlock → Linear B Ideograms ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
lawagetas → usedInWritingSystem → Linear B ⓘ
Michael Ventris → studied → Linear B ⓘ
Michael Ventris → proved → Linear B represents an early form of Greek ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
John Chadwick → workedOn → Linear B ⓘ
Linear A → successor → Linear B ⓘ
Linear A → influenced → Linear B ⓘ
Cretan hieroglyphs → relatedTo → Linear B ⓘ
Greek language → earliestWritingSystem → Linear B ⓘ
subject linked to: Greek
Supplementary Multilingual Plane → contains → Linear B ⓘ
subject linked to: SMP
Aegean Numbers → script → Linear B ⓘ
subject linked to: Aegean Numbers block
Aegean Numbers → writingSystem → Linear B script ⓘ
subject linked to: Aegean Numbers block
linked to: Linear B
Aegean Numbers → relatedTo → Linear B Syllabary ⓘ
subject linked to: Aegean Numbers block
linked to: Linear B
Aegean cultural sphere → hasWritingSystem → Linear B (in Mycenaean areas) ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Cnossus → hasWritingSystem → Linear B ⓘ
Unicode 3.1 → addsScript → Linear B ⓘ
Linb → script → Linear B ⓘ
Linb → assignedTo → Linear B script ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Linb → scriptBlockInUnicode → Linear B Syllabary ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Linb → scriptBlockInUnicode → Linear B Ideograms ⓘ
linked to: Linear B
Archaeological Sites of Mycenae and Tiryns → associatedScript → Linear B ⓘ
Michael Ventris → studied → Linear B ⓘ
subject linked to: Ventris
Scripta Minoa → subject → Linear B ⓘ
Scripta Minoa, Volume II → subject → Linear B ⓘ
subject linked to: Scripta Minoa
John Chadwick → studied → Linear B ⓘ
subject linked to: John
John Chadwick → usedScript → Linear B ⓘ
subject linked to: John
Aegean scripts → includes → Linear B ⓘ