Linear A tablet KH 5 (Khania) ca. 1450 BCE – adorned with ivy


Linear A tablet KH 5 (Khania) ca. 1450 BCE – adorned with ivy:

Linear A KH 5 inscription from Chania, circa 1450 BCE b

This tablet, which significantly dates from 1450 BCE, right at the time of the transition from the Linear A to the Linear B syllabary, appears to have 3 Mycenaean-derived words inscribed on it. Because it was probably one of the very last tablets inscribed in Linear A, it could just as well have been inscribed in Linear B. The first two syllables of ADAKISIKA, i.e. ADA, are Old Minoan (OM), falling within the substrate of the original Minoan language. Both ADA and ADU appear to deal with large(r) quantities in the Minoan language. And the first and second words, ADAKISIKA + WISASANE = adorned with plenty of ivy in equal measure, make for a perfectly acceptable phrase. WINASAO very much appears to be a variant of Linear A WINU, which means wine. It may be cast in an archaic Minoan ablative absolute, which would perhaps explain its orthography.

Since the rest of this tablet is in Old Minoan (OM), the language of the original Minoan language substrate, it is indecipherable.

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vallance22

Historical linguist, Linear B, Mycenaean Greek, Minoan Linear A, Arcado-Cypriot Linear C, ancient Greek, Homer, Iliad, only Blog ENTIRELY devoted to Linear B on Internet; bilingual English- French, read Latin fluently, read Italian & ancient Greek including Linear B well, Antikythera Mechanism

2 thoughts on “Linear A tablet KH 5 (Khania) ca. 1450 BCE – adorned with ivy”

  1. Wine seems to be a stable stem. In many IE, Semitic, Causasian and non classified languages the stem stays approximately the same : -oi -wi -vi -ui -gi. I would bot be surprised if the minoan word for wine would be almost exactly the same as the mycenaean one.

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  2. Wine seems to be a very stable stem that is present in many languages, indo-european and non indo-european, as wo- wi- oi- vi-. I would not be surprised if the minoan word for wine is wina as seen on this tablet.

    And concerning the word wina-, the third syllabogram seems tricky to read. In GORILA 3 it is interpreted as sign 51 DU but you ended up SA-O and I can see how. Someone could also read it as A2-O.

    However the word ends, it does not change the meaning but only the case ending which we know a little about in Minoan, unfortunately.

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