Indo-European Toponymy in Minoan Crete: An Etymological Approach

Linear A is the yet undeciphered Aegean writing system of the ancient Minoan civilization which flourished in Crete. Many attempts have been made to decipher Linear A, or connect it to a plausible language family, with limited success. The Indo-European connection to Linear A has been rigorously exp...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Cacciafoco, Francesco Perono, Eu Min, Niki Cassandra
Format: Online
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego 2025
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Online-Zugang:https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/159821
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Linear A is the yet undeciphered Aegean writing system of the ancient Minoan civilization which flourished in Crete. Many attempts have been made to decipher Linear A, or connect it to a plausible language family, with limited success. The Indo-European connection to Linear A has been rigorously explored over time because of the Mycenean Greek encoded by its descendant writing system, Linear B. This paper proposes possible etymologies of place names in the Linear A script, following a hypothetical relationship to the Indo-European family of languages. We apply historical-phonetic methodologies and the comparative method in order to analyze these plausible toponyms. Potential place names were determined using Linear B phonetic values to determine the phonetic equivalents of Linear A signs, and by examining the position of these sign clusters on various articles. This paper does not attempt to connect Linear A to a language family – rather, it explores the hypothetical connections that could be drawn, the reconstructions we could make, and aims to contribute to the current debate and discussion around Minoan toponymy.