Posted on 03/31/2011 10:38:39 AM PDT by Red Badger
Found at a site tied to myth, Greek tablet survived only by accident, experts say. Marks on a clay tablet fragment found in Greece are the oldest known decipherable text in Europe, a new study says.
Considered "magical or mysterious" in its time, the writing survives only because a trash heap caught fire some 3,500 years ago, according to researchers.
Found in an olive grove in what's now the village of Iklaina (map), the tablet was created by a Greek-speaking Mycenaean scribe between 1450 and 1350 B.C., archaeologists say.
The Mycenaeans—made legendary in part by Homer's Iliad, which fictionalizes their war with Troy—dominated much of Greece from about 1600 B.C. to 1100 B.C. (See "Is Troy True? The Evidence Behind Movie Myth.")
So far, excavations at Iklaina have yielded evidence of an early Mycenaean palace, giant terrace walls, murals, and a surprisingly advanced drainage system, according to dig director Michael Cosmopoulos.
But the tablet, found last summer, is the biggest surprise of the multiyear project, Cosmopoulos said.
"According to what we knew, that tablet should not have been there," the University of Missouri-St. Louis archaeologist told National Geographic News.
First, Mycenaean tablets weren't thought to have been created so early, he said. Second, "until now tablets had been found only in a handful of major palaces"—including the previous record holder, which was found among palace ruins in what was the city of Mycenae.
Although the Iklaina site boasted a palace during the early Mycenaean period, by the time of the tablet, the settlement had been reduced to a satellite of the city of Pylos, seat of King Nestor, a key player in the Iliad.
"This is a rare case where archaeology meets ancient texts and Greek myths," Cosmopoulos said in a statement.
Tablet Preserved by Cooking
The markings on the tablet fragment—which is roughly 1 inch ( 2.5 centimeters) tall by 1.5 inches (4 centimeters) wide—are early examples of a writing system known as Linear B.
Used for a very ancient form of Greek, Linear B consisted of about 87 signs, each representing one syllable. (Related: "New Layer of Ancient Greek Writings Detected in Medieval Book.")
The Mycenaeans appear to have used Linear B to record only economic matters of interest to the ruling elite. Fittingly, the markings on the front of the Iklaina tablet appear to form a verb that relates to manufacturing, the researchers say. The back lists names alongside numbers—probably a property list.
Because these records tended to be saved for only a single fiscal year, the clay wasn't made to last, said Cosmopoulos, whose work was funded in part by the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration. (The Society owns National Geographic News.)
"Those tablets were not baked, only dried in the sun and [were], therefore, very brittle. ... Basically someone back then threw the tablet in the pit and then burned their garbage," he said. "This fire hardened and preserved the tablet."
(Related: "Oldest Writing in New World Discovered, Scientists Say.")
Not the Oldest Writing
While the Iklaina tablet is an example of the earliest writing system in Europe, other writing is much older, explained Classics professor Thomas Palaima, who wasn't involved in the study, which is to be published in the April issue of the journal Proceedings of the Athens Archaeological Society.
For example, writings found in China, Mesopotamia, and Egypt are thought to date as far back as 3,000 B.C.
Linear B itself is thought to have descended from an older, still undeciphered writing system known as Linear A. And archeologists think Linear A is related to the older hieroglyph system used by the ancient Egyptians.
(Also see "Oldest Hebrew Text Is Evidence for Bible Stories?")
Magical, Mysterious Writing
Still, the Iklaina tablet is an "extraordinary find," said Palaima, an expert in Mycenaean tablets and administration at the University of Texas-Austin.
In addition to its sheer age, the artifact could provide insights about how ancient Greek kingdoms were organized and administered, he added.
For example, archaeologists previously thought such tablets were created and kept exclusively at major state capitals, or "palatial centers," such as Pylos and Mycenae.
Found in the ruins of a second-tier town, the Iklaina tablet could indicate that literacy and bureaucracy during the late Mycenaean period were less centralized than previously thought.
Palaima added that the ability to read and write was extremely restricted during the Mycenaean period and was regarded by most people as "magical or mysterious."
It would be some 400 to 600 years before the written word was demystified in Greece, as the ancient Greek alphabet overtook Linear B and eventually evolved into the 26 letters used on this page.
Great book. I can’t understand why Canticle for Leibowitz has never been made into a good movie either. Oh wait. Pro-Christian, pro-life - oh, never mind.
Other than that, what have the Mycenaeans ever done for us?
It’s part of a discarded restaurant menu.
Linear A is older but can't be read (apart from some symbols whose meaning can be guessed). There are even earlier symbols found elsewhere in Europe (like in the Danube Valley in present-day Croatia) but whether they are part of a writing system or just decoration is debatable.
(It’s Greek)
“Herc,
I don’t love you,
I’v found another man.
Yours, Stavos.”
In other words, their advanced civilization would have actually altered the sunspot cycle!!!
Wow! Lucky for us that the barbarians won! /s
Dit they have the dirty parts underlined - Or is that just how they lined up their letters?
I was sure it was a "sexting" from a young lady to her boyfriend.
“At one time these self same “experts” were claiming that Troy didn’t really exist, it too was a myth.”
Those experts have been dead over a hundred years. These are new experts.
“Now they claim the Iliad “fictionalizes” the war. Maybe, or maybe something happened back then that they do not understand.”
Or maybe they think “fictionalizes” is not a perjorative term and accurately describes what Homer did. Sometimes people who devote their lives to studying a subject actually know something about it.
BTW: the tablet below says..."pick up some milk and eggs on your way home!"
Either that or...."WATCH OUT FOR THAT TYRANNOSAURUS RE...!!" (the rest is broken off down there at the bottom...see??)
I think The Book of Eli had some moderate commercial success, so one would think an enterprising producer would roll the dice on Canticle, although it would probably lend itself better to a trilogy.
When I first learned about the Roman aqueducts, I was surprised. But I get what you’re saying.
My reaction too. Homer took literary liberties including the Gods as active participants, but using the word “fictionalizes” just sounds arrogant and wrong. I have the same reaction to “scholars” who dismiss Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus as made-up characters. Legends, and certainly most religions, do not usually come from nothing (Scientology being a major exception).
Mr. Liebowicz?
You may have already won "
I AM MR. STANLEY LAWSON, THE GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FINANCE & ACCOUNTS OF THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION (NNPC).
MY PURPOSE OF WRITING TO YOU IS THIS: I WISH TO SOLICIT YOUR CO-OPERATION IN THE TRANSFER OF THE SUM OF FIFTY MILLION SHEKELS....
There’s a book out— Noah’s Flood.
Check it out on Amazon.com.
GGG, folks. Love these threads!
Yes, that's correct.
Jack
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