Evans, Arthur J.: The Palace of Minos: a comparative account of the successive stages of the early Cretan civilization as illustred by the discoveries at Knossos (Index) (London, 1936)

SCRIPT

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SCRIPT

Script, Hieroglyphic B (cont.)

— hieroglyphs epitome of contemporary

culture, I. 281-5 (oil production and
trade, olive spray and vessel, repetition
of ship sign, saffron, bee, perhaps
Silphium)

— great catastrophe of Knossian Palace at

end of M.M. II probable term of Hiero-
glyphic Deposits there, 1. 272

— hieroglyphic deposit at Mallia largely

parallel to that of Knossos (M.M. II),
1. 266, IV. 676 and n. 31

— inscribed clay bars from Mallia Deposit

with 'horned head-piece' and other
signs of the Linear Class A, to be referred
to early phase of M.M. Ill, iv. 688, 689
(Figs. 671,672)

— abrupt disuse of Hieroglyphic script at

close of M.M. II (inscribed seal-stones
practically cease), 1. 612, 613
Linear Class A:

— substituted for hieroglyphic class in earlier

phase of M.M. Ill, I. 612, 613, 641

— about a third of its signs derived from lin-

earized hieroglyphs, I. 641 and Compara-
tive Table 643, Fig. 477

— ideographic usage still shown by ability

of most signs to stand in solitary position,
1. 644

— signs of ideographic aspect, Nos. 79-90 of

Table, I. 642 (Fig. 476), and supplemen-
tary series, iv. 678 (Fig. 661)

— numeration, 1. 644-6 and Table, Fig. 479;

compared with the Hieroglyphic system,
1. 644, 645 ; compared with that of Class
B, IV. 691, decimal system used, ib.

— signary of Linear Class A (90), 1. 641, 643

(Fig. 476), and see iv. 676, 677 (Fig. 659),
and supplementary lists, IV. 678 (Figs.
660,661)

— general disappearance of engraved script

from seal-stones, I. 679; clay sealings,
used instead for graffiti, ib.; exceptional
Linear Class A inscription on steatite
amygdaloid from Little Palace, 1. 669,
670 (Fig. 490), and gold signet-ring with

Script, Linear Class A (cont.)

round bezel from Chamber Tomb, Mavro
Spelio, Knossos, 11. 557 (Fig. 352)

— early irregular seal-stone of black steatite

of archaic appearance, engraved with
three characters of Linear Class A (pur-
chased at Athens, of supposed Cretan
provenance), 1. 639, 640 (Fig. 475)

— emergence of Script A fully systematized,

over large area, I. 641

— wider diffusion in Crete than later class (B),

iv. 675

— prevalent from M.M. Ilia to close of L.M.

— characterized by groups of composite

signs, 1. 465 (Fig. 478), iv. 679 (Fig. 662)

— signs differentiated by bars, 1. 644

— religious and dedicatory character of a

numerous early series of inscriptions
of this class (on libation tables, offertory
bowls, cups, and ladles, on votive bronze
plate and clay figurines), 1. 613 seqq, 11.
438-40, IV. 656^657
■— inscriptions of quasi-monumental aspect
cut on shallow cupped stone vessels for
libations: on bowl of basic rock and
archaic aspect, found N. of Palace site,
Knossos, iv. 656 (Fig. 641); on three-
cupped slab of libation table of black
steatite from offertory deposit Diktaean
Cave (Psychro), 1. 626-30 (Figs. 465-7);
on steatite libation table from Cave,
Palaikastro, 1. 630 (Fig. 468); on steatite
libation bowl with high base, Petsofa,
iv. 657 (Fig. 643); libation table of banded
limestone with stepped base, House of
Frescoes, 11. 456, 459 (Fig. 256)

— inscribed grey steatite spouted cup (frag-

ment), Palaikastro, I. 631 (Fig. 469)

— inscribed cylindrical vessel of black steatite

(for libation) from Apodoulou, iv. 656
(Fig. 642), 657 and n. 3, with inset

— votive ladle-shaped vessels (limestone)

from Juktas with traces of signs, 1. 624;
from Trullos (Arkhanes) with 23 signs,
iv. 625, 626 (Figs. 462, 465)

1 As pointed out by Monsieur Fernand Chapouthier, Les ecritures Minoennes au Palais de Mallia,
p. 7, the presence of inscribed clay roundels like those of the Temple Repositories at Knossos is
also a late characteristic showing overlap into M.M. III. A clay bar, too, shows characteristic signs
of Linear Class A (see IV. 688, 689).