Concetti Chiave
- Sir Arthur Evans identified three types of ancient scripts used in Crete and mainland Greece between 2000 and 1150 BC: hieroglyphic, and two linear forms.
- The Phaistos Disc, dating from 2000-1650 BC, is a key artifact of the earliest Cretan civilization, showcasing the hieroglyphic writing style.
- The discovery of Linear B challenged previous views on Greek history, revealing Greek dominance over Crete and linking Greek and Cretan civilizations.
- Linear A, emerging around 1750 BC, is a simplified form of hieroglyphs, found mainly on tablets from Haghia Triada, near Phaistos.
- The evolution from "Aegean-Cretan" or "Minoan" civilization to Mycenaean Greek civilization was clarified by distinguishing pre-Cretan Greek from Mycenaean Greek.
Discoveries of Sir Arthur Evans
British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans has the merit of having discovered and categorized Scriptures in use in Crete and mainland Greece between 2000 and 1150 BC. He distinguished three types found in "hieroglyphic writing", the oldest, and "linear", the next two writings. The first Scripture presented itself in the form of drawings, and other two were characterized by a series of signs more schematized which formed a continuous line.
The Phaistos Disc
The first type of writing, dating to the earliest period of Cretan civilization (2000-1650 BC) is documented by the famous Phaistos disk (clay), preserved in the Museum at Heraklion, the capital of Crete.
The discovery of linear B revolutionized all current opinions on Greek civilization and on its relationship with that of Crete: until then, indeed, it was believed that the Greeks had never dominated Crete. This discovery enabled him to anticipate the beginning of centuries of Greek history and informed of the fact that, albeit briefly, the gentlemen of the Palace of Knossos were Greeks. Still indeciphered, the Cretan hieroglyphic hasn't revealed his secret.
Linear A and its Origins
The second type, which in recent years have been interesting proposals of deciphering, made to appear around 1750 BC and looks like a simplification of the hieroglyphs above, reduced to simple contours. The script found on tablets coming largely from Haghia Triada, near Phaistos, was named by Evans "linear A".
The third type (which according to Evans would have appeared around 1400 BC, but which today we tend to think it is at least a century later) is a syllabic writing called "linear B". We are now able to read thanks to the ingenious interpretive work of English Michael Ventris: after sixteen years of study, he found that writing "hid" a Greek language; before they adopted the Phoenician alphabet, around 800 BC, the Greeks, between 1400 and 1200 BC, had thus already used this kind of linear writing.
Aegean-Cretan and Minoan Civilization
What until then had been called "Aegean-Cretan civilization", or "Minoan", the sequence of two different civilizations was revealed, that of the pre-Cretan Greek (Minoan) and that of the Mycenaean Greek.
Domande da interrogazione
- What were the key contributions of Sir Arthur Evans to the understanding of ancient Greek and Cretan civilizations?
- What is the significance of the Phaistos Disc in the study of ancient Cretan civilization?
- How did the deciphering of Linear B change the perception of Greek history?
Sir Arthur Evans discovered and categorized ancient scripts used in Crete and mainland Greece between 2000 and 1150 BC, distinguishing between hieroglyphic writing and two types of linear scripts. His work, particularly the discovery of Linear B, revolutionized the understanding of Greek civilization's history and its relationship with Crete.
The Phaistos Disc, dating from 2000-1650 BC, is a key artifact of the earliest period of Cretan civilization. It represents the first type of writing, characterized by drawings, and is preserved in the Museum at Heraklion. Its discovery provided insights into the early use of hieroglyphic writing in Crete.
The deciphering of Linear B by Michael Ventris revealed that it was a Greek language script used between 1400 and 1200 BC, predating the adoption of the Phoenician alphabet. This finding shifted the understanding of Greek history, showing that Greeks had a presence in Crete and used a form of writing much earlier than previously thought.
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