Definition

Noun: An ancient script used for writing Mycenaean Greek, discovered primarily on clay tablets in Crete and mainland Greece, dating to approximately the 13th century B.C. It is a syllabic writing system that represents syllables rather than individual letters or sounds.

Usage

• Linear B is used as a proper noun to refer specifically to this historical script.
• It is typically used in academic, historical, and archaeological contexts.
• It is often discussed in relation to its predecessor, Linear A, and its role in deciphering early Greek history.

Examples

• The decipherment of Linear B by Michael Ventris proved that it encoded an early form of Greek.
• Archaeologists found a new cache of tablets inscribed with Linear B at the palace of Pylos.
• Scholars study Linear B to understand the administration and economy of the Mycenaean palaces.

Advanced Usage

• "Linear B tablet": Refers to the physical clay tablet inscribed with the script.
  • The museum's most prized artifact is a complete Linear B tablet listing chariot parts.
• "Linear B script": Used to emphasize the writing system itself.
  • Linear B script consists of about 87 syllabic signs and over 100 ideographic signs.

Variants and Related Words

• Linear A: The earlier, undeciphered script used in Minoan Crete, from which Linear B is thought to be derived.
• Mycenaean Greek: The earliest attested form of the Greek language, written in Linear B.
• Syllabary: A set of written symbols that represent syllables, which is the type of writing system Linear B is.

Synonyms

• Mycenaean script: A less common synonym that directly references the associated civilization.

Notes on Meaning

This term refers exclusively to the specific historical script. It does not have other general meanings in modern English. Its significance lies in its status as the earliest known written form of Greek.

Noun

1. a syllabic script used in Greece in the 13th century B.C.