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
20 core words in Mycenaean Greek
Water
𐀓𐀈
/hudɔːr/
Fire
𐀢
/pyːr/
Sun
𐀀𐀺𐀂𐀍
/haːwelios/
Moon
𐀕
/mɛːn/
Mother
𐀔𐀳
/maːtɛːr/
Father
𐀞𐀳
/patɛːr/
Eat
𐀁𐀈𐀕𐀙
/edmenai/
Drink
𐀡𐀜
/piːnɔː/
Love
𐀠𐀩𐀍
/pʰilos/
Heart
𐀒𐀵𐀆
/kardia/
Tree
𐀈𐀬
/doru/
House
𐀺𐀂𐀒
/woikos/
Dog
𐀓𐀺
/kuwɔːn/
Cat
—
/—/
Hand
𐀐𐀁
/kʰɛːr/
Eye
𐀀𐀡𐀰𐀗𐀳
/opʰtʰalmos/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
One
𐀁
/hen/
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) | Hittite | Avestan | Old Persian | Scythian | Proto-Indo-European |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 𐀓𐀈 /hudɔːr/ | ὕδωρ /hýdɔːr/ | 𒉿𒀀𒋻 /waːtar/ | 𐬁𐬞 /aːp/ | 𐎠𐎱 /aːpi/ | ap /ap/ | *wódr̥ /wódr̩/ |
| Fire | 𐀢 /pyːr/ | πῦρ /pŷːr/ | 𒉺𒄩𒄴𒄯 /paxːur/ | 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /aːtar/ | 𐎠𐎫𐎼 /aːtar/ | ātar /aːtar/ | *péh₂wr̥ /péh₂wr̩/ |
| Sun | 𐀀𐀺𐀂𐀍 /haːwelios/ | ἥλιος /hɛ́ːlios/ | — /—/ | 𐬵𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 /huwarə/ | 𐏃𐎢𐎺𐎼 /huwar/ | hvar /xʷar/ | *sóh₂wl̥ /sóh₂wl̩/ |
| Moon | 𐀕 /mɛːn/ | σελήνη /selɛ́ːnɛː/ | 𒀀𒅈𒈠 /arma/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬵 /maːh/ | 𐎶𐎠𐏃 /maːha/ | māh /maːh/ | *méh₁not /méh₁not/ |
| Mother | 𐀔𐀳 /maːtɛːr/ | μήτηρ /mɛ́ːtɛːr/ | 𒀭𒈾 /anːa/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /maːtar/ | 𐎶𐎠𐎫𐎼 /maːtar/ | mātar /maːtar/ | *méh₂tēr /méh₂teːr/ |
| Father | 𐀞𐀳 /patɛːr/ | πατήρ /patɛ́ːr/ | 𒀜𒋫 /atːa/ | 𐬞𐬌𐬙𐬀𐬭 /pitar/ | 𐎱𐎡𐎫𐎠 /pitaː/ | pitar /pitar/ | *ph₂tḗr /ph₂téːr/ |
| Eat | 𐀁𐀈𐀕𐀙 /edmenai/ | ἐσθίειν /estʰíeːn/ | 𒅕𒀀𒀜 /ed/ | 𐬑𐬬𐬀𐬭 /xwar/ | 𐎧𐎼 /xar/ | xwartan /xʷartan/ | *h₁ed- /h₁ed/ |
| Drink | 𐀡𐀜 /piːnɔː/ | πίνειν /píneːn/ | 𒅔𒆪 /eku/ | 𐬞𐬁 /paː/ | 𐎱𐎠 /paː/ | — /—/ | *peh₃- /peh₃/ |
| Love | 𐀠𐀩𐀍 /pʰilos/ | ἀγάπη /aɡápɛː/ | 𒀸𒅆𒅀𒀭 /asːijant/ | 𐬟𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 /frija/ | 𐎳𐎼𐎡𐎹 /frija/ | — /—/ | *lewbʰ- /lewbʰ/ |
| Heart | 𐀒𐀵𐀆 /kardia/ | καρδία /kardía/ | 𒆗𒁕 /kard/ | 𐬰𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬛 /zərəd/ | 𐏀𐎼𐎭 /zard/ | zard- /zard/ | *ḱḗr /ḱéːr/ |
| Tree | 𐀈𐀬 /doru/ | δένδρον /déndron/ | 𒋫𒊒 /taru/ | 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬀 /waesa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | *dóru /dóru/ |
| House | 𐀺𐀂𐀒 /woikos/ | οἶκος /oîkos/ | 𒉺𒅕 /per/ | 𐬥𐬨𐬁𐬥𐬀 /nmaːna/ | 𐎶𐎠𐎴𐎡𐎹 /maːnija/ | — /—/ | *dṓm /dóːm/ |
| Dog | 𐀓𐀺 /kuwɔːn/ | κύων /kýɔːn/ | 𒆪𒉿𒀭 /kuwan/ | 𐬯𐬞𐬁 /spaː/ | 𐎿𐎱𐎣 /spaka/ | spaka /spaka/ | *ḱwṓ /ḱwóː/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | αἴλουρος /aíluːros/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | 𐀐𐀁 /kʰɛːr/ | χείρ /kʰéːr/ | 𒆠𒅖𒊭𒅈 /kesːar/ | 𐬰𐬀𐬯𐬙𐬀 /zasta/ | 𐎭𐎿𐎫 /dasta/ | zasta /zasta/ | *ǵʰésr̥ /ǵʰésr̩/ |
| Eye | 𐀀𐀡𐀰𐀗𐀳 /opʰtʰalmos/ | ὀφθαλμός /opʰtʰalmós/ | 𒊭𒆪𒉿 /ʃakuwa/ | 𐬗𐬀𐬱𐬨𐬀𐬥 /tʃaʃman/ | 𐏂𐏁𐎶𐎴 /tʃaʃman/ | čašm /tʃaʃm/ | *h₃ékʷ- /h₃ékʷ/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | χαῖρε /kʰâire/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | εὐχαριστῶ /eukʰaristɔ̂ː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | 𐀁 /hen/ | εἷς /hêːs/ | 𒁹 /as/ | 𐬀𐬉𐬬𐬀 /aewa/ | 𐎠𐎡𐎺 /aiwa/ | aiwa /aiwa/ | *h₁óynos /h₁ójnos/ |
| Good | 𐀀𐀏𐀳 /aɡatʰos/ | ἀγαθόν /aɡatʰón/ | 𒀸𒋗 /asːu/ | 𐬬𐬊𐬵𐬎 /vohu/ | 𐎴𐎡𐎲 /naiba/ | vohu /wohu/ | *h₁su- /h₁su/ |
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