Richard Vallance Janke | Western University Canada (original) (raw)

Papers by Richard Vallance Janke

This decipherment of KN Zc 6, conical cup inscribed in Linear A (HM 2630) is subject to the hypot... more This decipherment of KN Zc 6, conical cup inscribed in Linear A (HM 2630) is subject to the hypothesis that Minoan Linear A is Anatolian proto-Greek, the synchronous adstrate of cuneiform Hittite and Luwian. These findings are in line with those of our first publication, The influence of Hittite and digraphia on Minoan Linear A proto-Greek libation invocations, Preliminary Findings, previously published on this platform. Since then, we have revised our theory to encompass both Anatolian Hittite and Luwian. At least 3 of the 7 decoupled words in this inscription are Luwian. Moreover, our decipherment of this inscription is contingent on computer generated cluster analysis, which runs scores of lexicons of various ancient languages through a computer program that strips vowels from words to extract consonant clusters alone. This technique may well prove to be a ground-breaking game changer in the eventual decipherment of ancient languages, inclusive of Anatolian Linear A proto-Greek, which have long since defied multiple attempts at deciphering them. But since both Minoan Linear A and Mycenaean Linear B are subject to regressive spelling, it is imperative to adjust Linear A vocabulary to align with progressive spelling in its adstrates, Hittite and Luwian, to accurately correlate Linear A spelling with Hittite and Luwian. Mini lexicon of Linear A.

See Paper Title above, 2022

This decipherment of the the Silver Pin, Mavro Spelio KN Zf 31 (HM 540), is subject to the hypoth... more This decipherment of the the Silver Pin, Mavro Spelio KN Zf 31 (HM 540),
is subject to the hypothesis that Minoan Linear A is Anatolian proto-Greek,
the synchronous adstrate of cuneiform Hittite and Luwian. These findings are in line with those of our first publication, The influence of Hittite and
digraphia on Minoan Linear A proto-Greek libation invocations, Preliminary
Findings, previously published on this platform. Since then, we have revised our theory to encompass Anatolian Hittite and Luwian. Furthermore, our decipherment of this inscription is subject to computer generated cluster analysis, which runs scores of lexicons of various ancient languages through a computer program that strips vowels from words to extract consonant clusters alone. Our research teamʾs entirely novel approach is under the auspices of Francesco Perono Cacciafoco and Manoj Pratham, Editorial Consultants. This technique may very well prove to be a ground-breaking game changer in the eventual decipherment of ancient languages which have long since defied multiple attempts at deciphering them.

The influence of Hittite and digraphia on Minoan Linear A proto-Greek libation invocations, 2022

ABSTRACT: Based on the premise that Hittite, Luwian and Minoan Linear A proto-Greek are synchrono... more ABSTRACT: Based on the premise that Hittite, Luwian and Minoan Linear A proto-Greek are synchronous adstrates, preliminary findings suggest that the translations of three Linear A libation invocations featured here, the Spelio gold ring KN Zf 13 (HM 530), and two libation tables, PK Za 11 (HM 1341) and IO Za 2 (HM 3557), are sound. Diagraphia or code-switching in Hittite wields an appreciable influence on the decipherment of Linear A libation invocations. Diagraphia is the procedure whereby a language resorts to two different writing systems, often entirely unrelated, as for instance in Old Kingdom cuneiform Hittite, where the two writing systems are 1. Semitic sumerograms and 2. Hittite vocabulary, always affixed to sumerograms. Moreover, high frequency lemmata and lexemes often appear in Minoan religious inscriptions, rites, prayers, incantations and oracles. This phenomenon is consistent with formulaic language characteristic of ritualistic invocations common to so many ancient languages, such as Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Minoan Linear A proto-Greek and the Iliad, as well as the Old and New Testaments. Finally, the outlines of Minoan Linear A proto-Greek grammar are traced. All of these factors taken into account serve as reliable circumstantial evidence that our approach to the decipherment of Minoan Linear libation invocations appears sound.

In ancient times, as today, ceramic pots were both utilitarian and works of art. They offer a key... more In ancient times, as today, ceramic pots were both utilitarian and works of art. They offer a key to knowledge of many types, from chronology to the very history of culture to the development of technology. The present study examines the history of ceramic vessels during Minoan and Mycenaean times.

While it is impossible to cover every type of known Minoan and Mycenaean pottery or vessel, it is our intention to include as many popular known vessels and their uses as possible. Ancient Greek vases were mostly functional objects made to be used, not just admired. The Minoans, Mycenaeans and Greek used ceramic vessels in every aspect of their daily lives: for storage, carrying, mixing, serving and drinking and as cosmetic and perfume containers.

Pottery is undoubtedly the most common archaeological material surviving since it does not disintegrate when buried for centuries, and even millennia. So it is important to archaeologists for two main reasons. Firstly they serve as a chronological indicator whenever other dateable objects such as coins are are not found in any particular site where vessels have been unearthed and secondly for the information they can provide such as for trade and communications. It is the durability of pottery which makes it so important on archaeological excavations.

In partnership with The Association of Historical Studies, Koryvantes (Athens), we address past a... more In partnership with The Association of Historical Studies, Koryvantes (Athens), we address past and current prospects for the decipherment of the Minoan language, which has never met with any credible success in the 117 years since the first discovery of Minoan Linear A tablets by Sir Arthur Evans at Knossos in 1900. A considerable number of philologists and historical linguists, some of them amateurs, claim to have deciphered the Minoan language, yet no one has ever formulated a convincing decipherment. We advance a unique and entirely untested approach to unravelling the text of Minoan Linear A tablet HT 31 (Haghia Triada), based on the principle of cross-correlative retrogressive
extrapolation (CCRE) from Mycenaean Linear B to Linear A. HT 31 so closely parallels Mycenaean
Linear B tablet, Pylos Py TA 641-1952 (Ventris) that the latter effectively serves as a kind of “Rosetta Stone” for the former. There is also credible evidence that a Mycenaean derived superstratum imposed itself on Linear A as the result of the Mycenaean conquest of Knossos and Crete ca. 1500 – 1450 BCE or, failing that, their all but absolute suzerainty over Knossos and its dependencies. Approximately 300 or 26 % of 1166 intact words in Linear A are very likely of Mycenaean origin.
KEYWORDS: MINOAN, LINEAR A, DECIPHERMENT, SYLLABARIES, CROSS-CORRELATIVE RETROGRESS IVE EXTRA POLAT ION (CCRE ), POTTER Y, LINEAR B, IDEOGRAMS, SUPERSYLLABOGRAMS, SUPERSTRATUM, MYCENAEAN GREEK

ABSTRACT In partnership with The Association of Historical Studies, Koryvantes (Athens), we addre... more ABSTRACT
In partnership with The Association of Historical Studies, Koryvantes (Athens), we address the phenomenon of the supersyllabogram, which has never been properly identifi ed since the initial decipherment of Mycenaean Linear B in 1952. A supersyllabogram is the first yllabogram, i.e. the first syllable of a major (never minor) economic indicator combined with a closely related ideogram in the four economic sectors of the Mycenaean economy, agricultural, military, textiles and vessels or pottery. With very few exceptions, change the economic sector and you change the meaning of any particular supersyllabogram. Of some 3,500 tablets and fragments from Knossos, about 800 or 23% contain at
least one supersyllabogram and sometimes as many as four or fi ve. The whole point of supersyllabograms is that they are meant to eliminate text on tablets to the greatest possible extent. In a syllabary of 61 syllabograms + one homophone (AI), 36 syllabograms or 59% are supersyllabograms. Supersyllabograms serve to greatly economize on the precious space available on the tiny inventory tablets in Linear B. Any complete decipherment of Linear B must fully account for the upersyllabogram as a unique phenomenon without which any approach to the interpretation of the Linear B syllabary is squarely compromised.
KEYWORDS: MYCENAEAN LINEAR B, SUPERSYLLABOGRAMS, LINEAR B TABLETS, DECIPHERMENT, TRANSLATION, ECONOMY.

Ever since humankind first settled down in permanent settlements as the direct consequence of far... more Ever since humankind first settled down in permanent settlements as the direct consequence of farming of grains and other crops and the raising of livestock in the Late Neolithic era, the territorial imperative has consistently dictated real or imagined threats from outsiders. Consequently, people always struggled to improve means of self defence, leading to the introduction of missiles such as sling stones, spears and arrows. In the Late Neolithic, humankind built enormous fortresses. This was soon followed by the emergence of the first chariots in Sumeria ca. 2,500 BCE. Cumbersome as they were, they represented a significant step forward in the early technology of warfare. The next millennium was to bring about the perfection of the chariot as a vehicle enabling much more efficient warfare. Chariots had become far lighter, more mobile and more battle-worthy than their much more ponderous Sumerian predecessors. All late Bronze Age chariots, including Egyptian and Mycenaean, had reached the zenith of perfection attainable for that era. The Linear B Lexicon for the Construction of Mycenaean Chariots, the only one of its kind, has been produced in partnership with Koryvantes, the Association of Historical Studies (Athens). Резюме: От момента, когато човечеството се установява за пръв път в постоянни селища като пряка последица от отглеждането на зърно и други култури, а също на добитък през късния неолит, териториалната необходимост последователно налага реални или въображаеми заплахи от чужденци. Следователно, хората винаги са се борили да подобрят средствата за самозащита, водещи до въвеждането на метателни оръжия като камъни за прашки, копия и стрели. През късния неолит човечеството строи огромни крепости. Това скоро е последвано от появата на първите колесници в Шумер около 2500 г. пр. н. е. Характерни със своята тромавост, те представят значителна стъпка напред в ранната технология на войната. Следващото хилядолетие щяло да предизвика усъвършенстване на колесницата като превозно средство, което дава възможност за по-ефективни военни действия. Колесниците стават по-леки, по-мобилни и по-полезни в боя от техните по-тежки шумерски предшественици. Всички колесници от бронзовата епоха, включващи египетските и микенските, достигат върха на усъвършенстването си, постижим за тази ера. Речникът на Линеар Б за конструкцията на микенските колесници, единствен по рода си, е създаден с партньорството на Асоциацията за исторически изследвания Koryvantes (Атина).

The Role of Supersyllabograms in Mycenaean Linear B, talk on July 1 at the Third Interdisciplinar... more The Role of Supersyllabograms in Mycenaean Linear B, talk on July 1 at the Third Interdisciplinary Conference, Thinking Symbols, Pultusk Academy of the Humanities, Poland - my talk centred on the role of what were previously – and erroneously – called “adjuncts” in Mycenaean Linear B. With 35 in total, there are for more of them and they fulfill a role far more significant than had previously been assumed. In the majority of cases, one syllabogram replaces entire phrases and even sentences. No one had identified, isolated and classified them all until I did so in 2014-2015.

In partnership with The Association of Historical Studies, Koryvantes (Athens), our organization,... more In partnership with The Association of Historical Studies, Koryvantes (Athens), our organization,
Linear B, Knossos & Mycenae (Wordpress), conducts ongoing research into Mycenaean archaeology
and military aff airs and the Mycenaean Greek dialect. This study centres on a fresh new decipherment
of Pylos tablet TA 641-1952 (Ventris) by Mrs. Rita Roberts from Crete, who brings to bear the unique
perspectives of an archaeologist on her translation, in all probability the most accurate realized to
date. We then introduce the newly minted term in Mycenaean Linear B, the supersyllabogram, being
the fi rst syllabogram or fi rst syllable of any word or entire phrase in Linear B. Supersyllabograms have
been erroneously referred to as “adjuncts” in previous linguistic research into Mycenaean Linear B.
This article demonstrates that their functionality signifi cantly exceeds such limitations, and that the
supersyllabogram must be fully accounted for as a unique and discrete phenomenon without which any
approach to the interpretation of the Linear B syllabary is at best incomplete, and at worse, severely
handicapped.

The Iliad of Homer by Richard Vallance Janke

Annotated Translation of the Introduction to Book II of the Iliad and of lines 484 to 652 of The ... more Annotated Translation of the Introduction to Book II of the Iliad and of lines 484 to 652 of The Catalogue of Ships into fluent twenty-first century English, with reference to the significant impact of Mycenaean Greek on its archaic Greek. This is followed by a “modern” poem, Ode to the Archangel Michael in Mycenaean Linear B, English & French.

Mycenaean Greek by Richard Vallance Janke

This paper constitutes a significant breakthrough in the decipherment of Linear B: the Role of S... more This paper constitutes a significant breakthrough in the decipherment of Linear B: the Role of Supersyllabograms in Mycenaean Linear B. It is the full text of my presentation on July 1 2015 at the Third Interdisciplinary Conference, Thinking Symbols, at the Pultusk Academy of the Humanities, Pultusk, Poland.

The Paleo-Hebrew Gezer Agricultural Calendar or Almanac translated into Mycenaean Linear B, with ... more The Paleo-Hebrew Gezer Agricultural Calendar or Almanac translated into Mycenaean Linear B, with additional considerations of the profound impact of sypersyllabograms on Mycenaean Linear B (see article).

Whether we realize it or not, not only are tens of thousands of English words direct derivatives ... more Whether we realize it or not, not only are tens of thousands of English words direct derivatives of ancient Greek, but some are derived even from Mycenaean Greek, which makes them very ancient indeed!

Poetry by Richard Vallance Janke

Here we have 5 haiku in Linear A, the first ever in history. I hope you enjoy them.

Haiku metrics: morae versus "syllables", the fallacy of 5-7-5 The strict 5-7-5 syllable count in ... more Haiku metrics: morae versus "syllables", the fallacy of 5-7-5 The strict 5-7-5 syllable count in Occidental languages betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the counts of sounds (morae (Latin = delay) or on in Japanese haiku. If you believe haiku in Japanese, English or any other Occidental language, such as French, Italian, German, Russian and Greek, among so many other languages, must contain 17 syllables, with the rigid structure of 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second line and 5 in the third line, you are blindly following the once widely accepted so-called wisdom of the majority of English language haijin (haiku poets) in the past and sadly even all too many in the present, who slavishly adhere to the 5-7-5 syllable template. Japanese haiku consist of morae or sound symbols, which are frequently though not always the same as syllables, such that a Japanese haiku which appears to have 17 syllables often has quite a few more morae, even as many as 24, and in some instances, fewer morae than syllables. It is only these, not syllables, which count in the scansion of haiku in Japanese. Morae and syllables are fundamentally unalike. Frequently 2 so-called syllables in Japanese are actually 3 or 4 morae or on. The distinction between the mora and the on is subtle, since one is not quite the same as the other. As quoted from From 5-7-5 to 8-8-8: An Investigation of Japanese Haiku: Metrics and Implications for English Haiku, The question of how English-language haiku form may best emulate Japanese 5-7-5 haiku (or whether it even should at all) has been hotly debated for decades. A recent trend in Japanese poetic analysis, however, interprets haiku in terms of 3 1

The Phoenix Rising from the Ashes = Le Phénix renaissant de ses cendres is the first ever interna... more The Phoenix Rising from the Ashes = Le Phénix renaissant de ses cendres is the first ever international multilingual anthology of sonnets ever published in any century, featuring 21st. century sonneteers, with over 250 sonnets in English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese and Persian, and additional poems in Latin. It is over 250 pp. long, with subject and author indexes. NOTE: you need to DOWNLOAD this book to read it in full FONT size = 12.

Sublime Sappho. The moon has set, and the Pleiades - in Aeolic Greek, Mycenaean Linear B, Arcad... more Sublime Sappho. The moon has set, and the Pleiades - in Aeolic Greek, Mycenaean Linear B, Arcado-Cypriot Linear C, English and French, with a complete commentary and links to key sites featuring musical renditions of her most complete lyrical poem, The Hymn to Aphrodite.

Drafts by Richard Vallance Janke

Cluster Analysis of the Silver Pin, Mavro Spelio KN Zf 31 in Anatolian Proto-Greek, 2022

See Paper Title above, 2022

The influence of Hittite and digraphia on Minoan Linear A proto-Greek libation invocations, 2022

Here we have 5 haiku in Linear A, the first ever in history. I hope you enjoy them.

Cluster Analysis of the Silver Pin, Mavro Spelio KN Zf 31 in Anatolian Proto-Greek, 2022

ABSTRACT This decipherment of the the Silver Pin, Mavro Spelio KN Zf 31 (HM 540), is subject to ... more ABSTRACT

This decipherment of the the Silver Pin, Mavro Spelio KN Zf 31 (HM 540),
is subject to the hypothesis that Minoan Linear A is Anatolian proto-Greek,
the synchronous adstrate of cuneiform Hittite and Luwian. These findings are in line with those of our first publication, The influence of Hittite and
digraphia on Minoan Linear A proto-Greek libation invocations, Preliminary
Findings, previously published on this platform. Since then, we have revised our theory to encompass Anatolian Hittite and Luwian. Furthermore, our decipherment of this inscription is subject to computer generated cluster analysis, which runs scores of lexicons of various ancient languages through a computer program that strips vowels from words to extract consonant clusters alone. Our research teamʾs entirely novel approach is under the auspices of Francesco Perono Cacciafoco and Manoj Pratham, Editorial Consultants. This technique may very well prove to be a ground-breaking game changer in the eventual decipherment of ancient languages which have long since defied multiple attempts at deciphering them.

KONOSO, the Journal of Aegean Bronze Age Studies, 2020

Verbs in Hittite, Paradigms, Active & Medio-Passive, infinitives (categorized by areas of interes... more Verbs in Hittite, Paradigms, Active & Medio-Passive, infinitives (categorized by areas of interest: existence, perception, action, agriculture & pottery, military and government, emotion, judicial & government, emotion) present, preterite, imperative and verbal substantives

KONOSO, the Journal of Aegean Bronze Age Studies, 2020

VERBS IN HITTITE: Active & Medio-Passive Present and Preterite, Imperative, Participles & Substan... more VERBS IN HITTITE: Active & Medio-Passive Present and Preterite,
Imperative, Participles & Substantives. Verbs categorized by field, existence, perception, expression, education, motion, action, agriculture & vessels, military and government, emotional and judicial. Paradigms, Active & Medio-Passive, infinitives, present & future, imperative and verbal substantives

This is a critical review of the analytical structure of Hurrian and Hurrians in Minoan Crete. We... more This is a critical review of the analytical structure of Hurrian and Hurrians in Minoan Crete. We have opted for the global title Hurrians and Hurrian in Minoan Crete for our review, since referencing the titles of each Volume (I,I;I,II;II,I and II,II) would have have resulted in a title far too unwieldy for the purposes of indexing van Soesbergen's magnum opus in academia.edu. these two parts appearing in two separate physical books or volumes.

This monograph, High Correlation Linear A-Linear B vocabulary, grammar and orthography in Linear ... more This monograph, High Correlation Linear A-Linear B vocabulary, grammar and orthography in Linear A, by Richard Vallance Janke and Alexandre Solcà, is the largest study into the genesis of a Mycenaean-derived superstrate in Linear A ever undertaken by these authors. This is merely the draft paper, and as such it has yet to be approved for final publication by the editorial board of Les Éditions KONOSO Press. Since this is a draft paper only, we urgently request that any and all visitors to View Comments apprise us of any and all errors, whether orthographic, grammatical or syntactical. We have already proof-read this monograph at least 150 times, but before it can be approved or is approved for final publication by Les Éditions KONOSO Press, it must be absolutely free of errors of any kind. So if you spot any errors whatsoever, please let us know at once. We of course welcome any and all comments, observations and criticisms on this major new and entirely revolutionary study into the possible/probable existence of a Mycenaean-derived superstrate in Linear A. We realize that a great many critics will object to our hypothesis, some of them vociferously. But all we ask is that you keep an open mind, whoever you may be, with our thanks in advance.

Thank you
Richard Vallance Janke and Alexandre Solcà

AIGCA (artificial intelligence geometric co-ordinate analysis) by supercomputers or via the high ... more AIGCA (artificial intelligence geometric co-ordinate analysis) by supercomputers or via the high speed Internet is eminently suited for the identification and parsing unique cursive scribal hands in Mycenaean Linear B without the need of such identification by manual visual means.

Chris Tselentis' Linear B Lexicon is by far the most comprehensive and most reliable dictionary o... more Chris Tselentis' Linear B Lexicon is by far the most comprehensive and most reliable dictionary of Mycenaean Greek currently available to researchers and translators in Mycenaean Linear B. I highly recommend it.

How to download Sir Arthur Evan’s Scripta Minoa, Volumes 1 & 2, (Linear B), in their entirety: Un... more How to download Sir Arthur Evan’s Scripta Minoa, Volumes 1 & 2, (Linear B), in their entirety: Until recently, anyone searching for Scripta Minoa could download the files from Heidelberg University. But it is no longer possible to do so without the downloaded page being truncated at the top. To illustrate this, we try to download page 5 of Scripta Minoa, Vol. 1, here, the result above being what we actually see, the example in this case being, page 5, Preface. Note that we see only a window [1] to the entire page [2]. Consequently, if you try to download the rest of the page, Heidelberg University blocks the rest of that page [2], or any other page, rendering the Heidelberg University site useless to download Scripta Minoa, Volumes 1 & 2. The alternative route to download Scripta Minoa, Volumes 1 & 2. Instead, go to this post on our home site, Minoan Linear A, Linear B, Knossos & Mycenae and follow the explicit instructions to the letter to download Scripta Minoa, Volumes 1 & 2.

Can quantum computers be of assistance in overcoming the seemingly insurmountable obstacles facin... more Can quantum computers be of assistance in overcoming the seemingly insurmountable obstacles facing us in even a partial decipherment of Minoan Linear A? The quintessential problem: The truly formidable obstacles facing us in even a partial decipherment of Minoan Linear A: To illustrate my point, here is just one tablet with contentious vocabulary: Any attempt, however concerted, at even a partial decipherment of Minoan Linear A is bound to meet with tremendous obstacles, as illustrated all too dramatically by the tablet above and by the selective table which follows:

This is an Old Minoan lexicon and geographical researches for Cretan sites other than Haghia Tria... more This is an Old Minoan lexicon and geographical researches for Cretan sites other than Haghia Triada. We encourage comments, critiques and suggestions.

KONOSO, the Journal of Aegean Bronze Age Studies, 2019

Minoan Linear A tablets appear to be classed in two primary areas of interest (a) agriculture, an... more Minoan Linear A tablets appear to be classed in two primary areas of interest (a) agriculture, and more specifically, crops and grains and (b) religious and sacerdotal. It is to the former that we turn our attention in this study. Focusing on certain Linear A tablets which deal primarily or almost exclusively with grains, we find that these three tablets yield the most promising results, Haghia Triada tablets HT 86 & 95 and Zakros tablet ZA 20. While HT 86 and HT 95 are intact, ZA 20 is not. Other Linear A tablets from Haghia Triada also contribute to our findings.

Is it possible to envision an intact version of the original ZA 20 tablet from Zakros? We believe so, and with that firmly in mind we have attempted the first ever restoration of the top of ZA 20, resulting in what amounts to a plausible intact version, however hypothetical, of the original.

Is puko the word for tripod in Minoan Linear A? A breakthrough in the decipherment of Linear A? ... more Is puko the word for tripod in Minoan Linear A? A breakthrough in the decipherment of Linear A? Relying on the ideograms for vessels on two Minoan Linear A tablets, cross-correlated with their counterparts on Pylos tablet TA 641-1952 (Ventris), we are able to deduce the meanings of two types of vessels on the Minoan Linear A tablets.

Linear A Tablet HT 86 (Haghia Triada) Linear A tablet HT 86 (Haghia Triada) appears to be inscrib... more Linear A Tablet HT 86 (Haghia Triada) Linear A tablet HT 86 (Haghia Triada) appears to be inscribed partially in Mycenaean-derived New Minoan and partially in Old Minoan, just as is HT 95 (Haghia Triada). This is one of the most significant of all Linear A tablets, because it so closely parallels HT 95. The fact that the text of HT 86 so closely mirrors that of HT 95 lends further credence to our decipherment of both of these tablets taken together. We find approximately equal parts of Mycenaean-derived New Minoan and Old Minoan vocabulary on HT 86. Here we have the New Minoan vocabulary on HT 86: akaru, dideru (equivalent to Linear B didero), dame & minute Old Minoan vocabulary on HT 86: kunisu, saru, qara2wa (qaraiwa) & adu We must pay special heed to the terms akaru and dideru in New Minoan, as these in turn signify " field " (archaic acc.), where all of these crops are obviously grown and didero, which is Linear A for " einkorn wheat ". As for the Old Minoan terminology, we have kunisu, which is " emmer wheat " and adu, which is a very large unit of dry measurement, probably " bales ". Astonishingly, the text as a whole admirably hangs together, all the more so when compared with that of HT 95.

HT 95 (Haghia Triada), dealing emmer and einkorn wheat, is one of the most significant of all Lin... more HT 95 (Haghia Triada), dealing emmer and einkorn wheat, is one of the most significant of all Linear A tablets Linear A tablet, HT 95 (Haghia Triada), which deals with various grain crops, i.e. emmer and einkorn wheat, millet and spelt, and with flax, is unquestionably the most important Linear A tablets, with the possible exception of HT 86, dealing with the same roster of grains, inscribed exclusively in Old Minoan.

akaru = field NM1 a1 kra (arch. acc.) HT 2 (20+) HT 86 X2 (20+) TOTAL = 40+ barley kireta2 (kiret... more akaru = field NM1 a1 kra (arch. acc.) HT 2 (20+) HT 86 X2 (20+) TOTAL = 40+ barley kireta2 (kiretai) = barley NM1 kri/ qai HT 85 (1) + HT 129 (33) TOTAL = 34 kiretana = barley-like NM1 kriqani/ aj HT 2 (54+) HT 8 X 2 (5) HT 108 (1) HT 120 (60) TOTAL = 120 einkorn wheat dideru = einkorn wheat HT 86 X 2 (2 nd. trunc.) (20) HT 95 X 2 (20) Cf. Linear B didero TOTAL = 40 emmer wheat kunisu = emmer wheat HT 10 (0) HT 86 X 2 (40+) HT 95 X 2 (30) (Semitic origin) TOTAL = 70+ flax [sara2 = flax HT 18 (10) HT 28 X 2 (21) HT 30 (0) HT 32-34 (0) HT 90 (20) HT 93 (20) HT 94 (5) HT 97 (0) HT 99 (4+) HT 100-102 (985+) HT 105 (234) HT 114 (10) HT 121 (5) HT 125 (2) HT 130 (0) TOTAL = 1306+ + saru (oblique case) HT 86 X 3 (41+) HT 95 X 2 (30) HT 123+124 (16) TOTAL = 87+ TOTAL for all references to flax = 1393] spelt or millet dame = spelt or millet HT 86 (20) HT 95 X2 (20) HT 120 (74) TOTAL = 94 millet or spelt qera2u/qera2wa = millet or spelt HT 1 (197) HT 95 X2 (17) TOTAL = 214 durare = durum wheat? Knossos KN Zc 7 (0) TOTAL = 0

The parallel between the French superstrate in English and the Mycenaean-derived superstrate in t... more The parallel between the French superstrate in English and the Mycenaean-derived superstrate in the Minoan language in Linear A:

To date, no linguists exploring this phenomenon have ever properly taken this fundamental criterion into consideration, namely, that any superstrate word introduced into a substrate language must conform to the standard orthographic and syntactical conventions of the substrate language, and that is why all of their efforts at decipherment of so-called “Greek-like” vocabulary have utterly failed. It must be understood from the outset that all researchers and decipherers of Linear A, including Gregory Nagi and Iurii Mosenkis, who have ever attempted to assign “Greek-like” lexicographical values to the decipherment of Linear A have made the fundamental and critical error of retrospectively extrapolating Greek words from much later classical Greek. This issue can be summarized in a nutshell: the so-called Greek-like words imported into the Minoan language can only be early (ca. 1600 BCE) or later (ca. 1500-1450 BCE) Mycenaean-derived and nothing else.

Linear A tablet HT 13 Haghia Triada successfully translated, with a substantial Mycenaean superst... more Linear A tablet HT 13 Haghia Triada successfully translated, with a substantial Mycenaean superstrate, wine stalks in (parallel) rows, crushed grapes and (a) sweeteners or (b) at Mount Ida: This is the first ever practically complete decipherment of Linear A tablet HT 13 (Haghia Triada) into what ostensibly appears to be largely Mycenaean-derived Greek (also known as the Mycenaean superstrate). Most of the words on this tablet are probably early Mycenaean or Mycenaean, with the caveat that their orthography and grammatical structure must have been adjusted to reflect the exigencies of the orthography and grammatical structure of the Minoan substrate language (Old Minoan, OM), the original Minoan language onto which they have been grafted. Allow me to explain how this phenomenon transpires. If we compare the incursion of Mycenaean-derived words into Linear A with the much later enormous influx of Norman French and French vocabulary into English, we can glean a much 1

Most of the words on Linear A tablet HT 88 Haghia Triada are probably early Mycenaean or Mycenaea... more Most of the words on Linear A tablet HT 88 Haghia Triada are probably early Mycenaean or Mycenaean, with the caveat that their orthography and grammatical structure must have been adjusted to reflect the exigencies of the orthography and grammatical structure of the Minoan substrate language (Old Minoan, OM), the original Minoan language onto which they have been grafted. Allow me to explain how this phenomenon transpires.

If we compare the incursion of Mycenaean-derived words into Linear A with the much later enormous influx of Norman French and French vocabulary into English, we can glean a much clearer picture of what is happening here. It is our belief that the introduction of Mycenaean-derived vocabulary into the Minoan substrate language, Old Minoan (OM) from around 1600 to 1450 BCE parallels to some extent the massive influx of Norman French and French vocabulary into English after the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 AD.

Archaeology seems to support the idea of widespread Minoan trading contacts and a significant num... more Archaeology seems to support the idea of widespread Minoan trading contacts and a significant number of Minoan colonies. The distribution of the place name “Minoa” in the Aegean and in the eastern and central Mediterranean also appears to imply Minoan colonies. However, we must not forget that it was the famed archaeologist Arthur Evans who gave the Minoan civilization its name. It is possible that the Minoans went by a different name entirely. If the Bronze Age Cretan king was known as “Minos”, it is quite possible that the king’s colonies were named “Minoa” after him, but this is just speculation.

This brief article offers a cursory analysis of the handwriting of the famous British cryptograp... more This brief article offers a cursory analysis of the handwriting of the famous British cryptographer, Alan Turing, who deciphered the German Enigma code in World War II and of Michael Ventris, who deciphered Mycenaean Linear B in 1952.

Geometric co-ordinate analysis of cuneiform, the Edwin-Smith hieroglyphic papyrus (ca. 1600 BCE),... more Geometric co-ordinate analysis of cuneiform, the Edwin-Smith hieroglyphic papyrus (ca. 1600 BCE), Minoan Linear A, Mycenaean Linear B and Arcado-Cypriot Linear C can confirm, isolate and identify with precision the X Y co-ordinates of single characters or syllabograms in their respective standard fonts, and in the multiform cursive “deviations” from their fixed font forms, or to put it in different terms, can parse the running co-ordinates of each character, syllabogram or ideogram of any scribal hand in each of these scripts. This procedure effectively encapsulates the “style” of any scribe’s hand. This hypothesis is at the cutting edge in the application of graphology a.k.a epigraphy based entirely on the scientific procedure of geometric co-ordinate analysis (GCA) of scribal hands, irrespective of the script under analysis.

This glossary serves as a baseline introduction to linguistics terminology. As such, at first gla... more This glossary serves as a baseline introduction to linguistics terminology. As such, at first glance, it may not appear to be of much value to those of us who are linguists. However, if you are a professor or teacher of linguistics, you may find this little glossary of benefit to your students, especially undergraduates.