Mycenaean Linear B Script

Among other things, the coming of Mycenaean Greeks from Mainland Greece to Crete was accompanied by the adaptation of Minoan script to the Hellenic language. Mycenaean Linear B, which was also a syllabic script, was recorded on clay tablets at Knossos (ko-no-so), c.1400 B.C.. It was deciphered by the English architect Michael Ventris in 1952.

The language of the tablets is Mycenaean Greek; they refer to the rulers of Knossos (Anax), to warriors and chariots, to olive oil and aromatic oils, honey, wine and large numbers of sheep. Extensive references are made to the tax records of Knossos, thus indicating a highly organized bureaucracy. There is also information concerning offerings to the Pantheon, to Zeus and to other divinities. The Linear B Script fell into disuse following the destruction of Knossos, though its survival has been attested at Chania (ku-do-ni-ja) and in Mycenaean Greece.