Linear B Syllable Te

It writes the open syllable “te”: t plus the vowel in “ten.”

An “open” syllable ends in its vowel, with no consonant after it. A syllabogram writes one syllable within a word; unlike a logogram, it does not stand for a whole object. Other signs around 𐀳 complete the Mycenaean Greek spelling.

What did people use Linear B for?

It recorded palace administration in Mycenaean Greek.

Linear B was adapted from Linear A to write Mycenaean Greek. Its clay tablets from palace archives on Crete and the Greek mainland list goods, raw materials, people, and other administrative records. The related Linear A sign is 𐘃, catalogued as AB004 (also AB04 in Mnamon’s sign list); the label links the signs, not a deciphered Linear A word.

The oldest group of Linear B texts known from Knossos is dated to the beginning of the 14th century BCE; an alternative dating places it at the end of the 15th century BCE. The palace system was disrupted around 1200 BCE, and Linear B disappeared from use. Michael Ventris announced its decipherment in 1952.

What does 𐀳 mean in a message?

Alone, it usually signals a Linear B sample, not a complete message.

Without surrounding signs, it supplies only the syllable “te.” In a lesson or transcription, it can mark the sign being discussed. If the recipient may not know Linear B, identify the script or reading in the message.