A Companion to Linear B

Linear B is the earliest form of writing used for Greek; it is a syllabic script which belongs to the second half of the second millennium BC and precedes the earliest alphabetic texts by at least four hundred years. The tablets written in this script offer crucial information about the economy, administration, religion, institutions, etc. of the Mycenaean period. But who wrote these texts? What types of texts were they? How can we read them, understand them and interpret them? What do they teach us about the history, economy, religion, society, geography, technology, and language of the Mycenaean period? This Companion aims at answering these and other questions in a series of chapters written by internationally recognised specialists in the subject, who not only summarise the results of current research but also try to explain the problems which arise from the study of the texts and the methods which can be used to solve them. No Mycenologist can currently cover with authority all the field and the Companion is aimed both at the beginner who needs an introduction to the whole area and to advanced scholars (archaeologists, historians, classicists) who require an up-to-date account which can serve as a standard reference tool. Reactions to the first volume: "All Aegenists need to have this book." (John G. Younger, American Journal of Archaeology "Un excellent instrument, a tous les niveaux." (Francisco Aura Jorro, L'Antiquite Classique) "We are awash with companions of varying composition and quality. Arguably, many are superfluous; this one is not... The companion under review seeks to make Linear B more accessible to students and interested scholars. It is far more complete, authoritative and up-to-date than any." (Dimitri Nakassis, The Classical Review) "The best reference work for the content of the Linear B texts, their language, their value, and the historical contexts that produced them; very useful for students." (Angelos Chaniotis, Ancient Crete: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide)