The Mystery of the Mycenaean ‘Labyrinth’: The value of Linear B Pu2 and Related Signs

Anna P. Judson

This article re-examines the evidence for the value of the Linear B sign pu₂, in particular its appearance in the term da-pu₂-ri-to- ‘labyrinth’, and demonstrates that it stands specifically for the value /pʰu/ (contrary to the usual assumption that it represents both /pʰu/ and /bu/). It then discusses the further implications of this conclusion, in particular for the interpretation of the undeciphered signs *56 and *22, which are often assigned to the same series as pu₂, as well as any other similar signs which may exist. This discussion illustrates the crucial impact that establishing a single sign’s value may have on the wider understanding of the Linear B script, as well as on its relationship with its parent script Linear A and even the possibility of reconstructing aspects of the Minoan language.

Anna P. Judson is Research Fellow in Classics at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge.
Full Bibliographic Reference

Judson A.P. 2017, The Mystery of the Mycenaean ‘Labyrinth’: The Value of Linear B Pu₂ and Related Signs, SMEA NS 3, 53-72

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KEYWORDS

Linear B; Linear A; writing systems; Late Bronze Age Greece; Mycenaean Greek language
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