Definition:
Linear B is the name of the ancient script used by the Mycenean culture, inscribed on (or possibly inadvertently fired into) clay tablets on the Mycenanean site of Knossos and likely first used around 1350 BC (Bronze Age, Neopalatial period). Linear B was deciphered by amateur philologist Michael Ventris working jointly with professional philologist John Chadwick, and with the help of other scholars such as Alice Kober, as an early form of ancient Greek.
Sources
See the Decipherment of Linear B for more information about this fascinating detective work.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
