Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics

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Linear B
(2,131 words)

Abstract

Linear B is a syllabic writing system, which was used in the Aegean area during the Bronze Age to represent Mycenaean, an archaic variety of Greek. Arthur Evans coined this type of writing as Linear B, before the language that it represented was known. Within this nomenclature, which makes reference exclusively to the script and not to the language, ‘linear’ alludes to the linear disposition that the…

Cite this page
Rachele Pierini, “Linear B”, in: Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics, General Editor: Georgios K. Giannakis. Consulted online on 20 March 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2214-448X_eagll_COM_00000221>
First published online: 2013



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