𐀀𐀐𐀊
Mycenaean Greek
Indo-European (Hellenic, pre-classical) · historical / hidden variety
Mycenaean Greek is the earliest attested form of Greek, recorded in the Linear B syllabary on Bronze Age clay tablets at Knossos, Pylos, Mycenae, and other palace sites. Its decipherment by Michael Ventris in 1952 proved that Greek-speakers were already in Greece in the Bronze Age. Vocabulary attested in Linear B is mostly administrative; many basic words must be reconstructed via Classical Greek.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Mycenaean Greek
Water
𐀄𐀈
/hudɔːr/
Fire
𐀢
/pyːr/
Sun
𐀀𐀸𐀪𐀍
/haːwelios/
Moon
𐀕
/mɛːn/
Star
𐀀𐀳𐀫
/astɛːr/
Mother
𐀔𐀳
/maːtɛːr/
Father
𐀞𐀳
/patɛːr/
I
𐀁𐀒
/eɡɔː/
You
𐀶
/tuː/
Name
𐀃𐀜𐀔
/onoma/
Eye
—
/—/
Hand
𐀐𐀁
/kʰɛːr/
Heart
—
/—/
Love
𐀠𐀫
/pʰilos/
Tree
𐀈𐀬
/doru/
House
𐀺𐀂𐀒
/woikos/
Dog
𐀓𐀺
/kuwɔːn/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
𐀁𐀈𐀕𐀙
/edmenai/
Drink
𐀡𐀜
/piːnɔː/
One
𐀁
/hen/
Two
𐀉𐀺
/duwoː/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
𐀀𐀏𐀳
/aɡatʰos/
Sources
- Ventris & Chadwick (1973) — Documents in Mycenaean Greek
- Glottolog: myce1241
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Hellenic, pre-classical) languages
| Meaning | Mycenaean Greek | Greek (Ancient) | Oscan | Proto-Indo-European | Avestan | Umbrian | Hittite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 𐀄𐀈 /hudɔːr/ | ὕδωρ /hýdɔːr/ | — /—/ | *wódr̥ /wódr̩/ | 𐬁𐬞 /aːp/ | utur /ˈu.tur/ | 𒉿𒀀𒋻 /waːtar/ |
| Fire | 𐀢 /pyːr/ | πῦρ /pŷːr/ | — /—/ | *péh₂wr̥ /péh₂wr̩/ | 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /aːtar/ | pir /pir/ | 𒉺𒄩𒄴𒄯 /paxːur/ |
| Sun | 𐀀𐀸𐀪𐀍 /haːwelios/ | ἥλιος /hɛ́ːlios/ | — /—/ | *sóh₂wl̥ /sóh₂wl̩/ | 𐬵𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 /huwarə/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Moon | 𐀕 /mɛːn/ | σελήνη /selɛ́ːnɛː/ | — /—/ | *méh₁not /méh₁not/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬵 /maːh/ | — /—/ | 𒀀𒅈𒈠 /arma/ |
| Star | 𐀀𐀳𐀫 /astɛːr/ | ἀστήρ /astɛ̌ːr/ | — /—/ | *h₂stḗr /hˈsteːr/ | 𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬭 /star/ | — /—/ | 𒄩𒀸𒋼𒅕 /xaster/ |
| Mother | 𐀔𐀳 /maːtɛːr/ | μήτηρ /mɛ́ːtɛːr/ | maatúf /maːtof/ | *méh₂tēr /méh₂teːr/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /maːtar/ | matrer /ˈma.trer/ | 𒀭𒈾 /anːa/ |
| Father | 𐀞𐀳 /patɛːr/ | πατήρ /patɛ́ːr/ | patír /patiːr/ | *ph₂tḗr /ph₂téːr/ | 𐬞𐬌𐬙𐬀𐬭 /pitar/ | patre /ˈpa.tre/ | 𒀜𒋫 /atːa/ |
| I | 𐀁𐀒 /eɡɔː/ | ἐγώ /eɡɔ̌ː/ | egom /egom/ | *éǵh₂om /ˈeɡʲhom/ | 𐬀𐬰𐬆𐬨 /azəm/ | — /—/ | 𒌑𒊌 /uːk/ |
| You | 𐀶 /tuː/ | σύ /sý/ | tú /tuː/ | *túh₂ /tuːh/ | 𐬙𐬏𐬨 /tuːm/ | tu /tuː/ | 𒍣𒅅 /tsik/ |
| Name | 𐀃𐀜𐀔 /onoma/ | ὄνομα /ónoma/ | númen /nuːmen/ | *h₃nómn̥ /hˈnomn̩/ | 𐬥𐬁𐬨𐬀𐬥 /naːman/ | nome /ˈnome/ | 𒆷𒀀𒈠𒀭 /laːman/ |
| Eye | — /—/ | ὀφθαλμός /opʰtʰalmós/ | — /—/ | *h₃ékʷ- /h₃ékʷ/ | 𐬗𐬀𐬱𐬨𐬀𐬥 /tʃaʃman/ | — /—/ | 𒊭𒆪𒉿 /ʃakuwa/ |
| Hand | 𐀐𐀁 /kʰɛːr/ | χείρ /kʰéːr/ | manim /manim/ | *ǵʰésr̥ /ǵʰésr̩/ | 𐬰𐬀𐬯𐬙𐬀 /zasta/ | manuv-e /ma.ˈnu.we/ | 𒆠𒅖𒊭𒅈 /kesːar/ |
| Heart | — /—/ | καρδία /kardía/ | — /—/ | *ḱḗr /ḱéːr/ | 𐬰𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬛 /zərəd/ | — /—/ | 𒆗𒁕 /kard/ |
| Love | 𐀠𐀫 /pʰilos/ | ἀγάπη /aɡápɛː/ | — /—/ | *lewbʰ- /lewbʰ/ | 𐬟𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 /frija/ | — /—/ | 𒀸𒅆𒅀𒀭 /asːijant/ |
| Tree | 𐀈𐀬 /doru/ | δένδρον /déndron/ | — /—/ | *dóru /dóru/ | 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬀 /waesa/ | — /—/ | 𒋫𒊒 /taru/ |
| House | 𐀺𐀂𐀒 /woikos/ | οἶκος /oîkos/ | trííbúm /triːbom/ | *dṓm /dóːm/ | 𐬥𐬨𐬁𐬥𐬀 /nmaːna/ | — /—/ | 𒉺𒅕 /per/ |
| Dog | 𐀓𐀺 /kuwɔːn/ | κύων /kýɔːn/ | — /—/ | *ḱwṓ /ḱwóː/ | 𐬯𐬞𐬁 /spaː/ | — /—/ | 𒆪𒉿𒀭 /kuwan/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | αἴλουρος /aíluːros/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | 𐀁𐀈𐀕𐀙 /edmenai/ | ἐσθίειν /estʰíeːn/ | — /—/ | *h₁ed- /h₁ed/ | 𐬑𐬬𐬀𐬭 /xwar/ | — /—/ | 𒅕𒀀𒀜 /eːd/ |
| Drink | 𐀡𐀜 /piːnɔː/ | πίνειν /píneːn/ | — /—/ | *peh₃- /peh₃/ | 𐬞𐬁 /paː/ | — /—/ | 𒅔𒆪 /eku/ |
| One | 𐀁 /hen/ | εἷς /hêːs/ | — /—/ | *h₁óynos /h₁ójnos/ | 𐬀𐬉𐬬𐬀 /aewa/ | unu /ˈu.nu/ | 𒀸 /as/ |
| Two | 𐀉𐀺 /duwoː/ | δύο /dýo/ | dús /duːs/ | *dwóh₁ /dwoːh/ | 𐬛𐬬𐬀 /dva/ | dur /dur/ | 𒁕𒀀 /daː/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | χαῖρε /kʰâire/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | εὐχαριστῶ /eukʰaristɔ̂ː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | 𐀀𐀏𐀳 /aɡatʰos/ | ἀγαθόν /aɡatʰón/ | — /—/ | *h₁su- /h₁su/ | 𐬬𐬊𐬵𐬎 /vohu/ | — /—/ | 𒀸𒋗 /asːu/ |
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