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)
