Eteocretan language
Encyclopedia
The Minoan language was spoken in ancient Crete
before it was replaced with the language of the mainland
; the relationship between Minoan and Greek
is unknown. While attempts have been made to connect it to other languages, Minoan must be considered unclassified
until a linguistic affiliation can be ascertained. The Minoan language was written in Linear A
, a syllabary
that was used extensively up to 1420 BC, primarily for the purposes of religious inscriptions and administrative records in the Minoan civilization
.
The Eteocretan (i.e. True Cretan) language is likely descended from Minoan, and is largely written in a Euboean-derived
alphabetic script that was the norm after the Hellenic Dark Ages (ca. 1200 BC–800 BC), although Linear syllabic scripts did continue on side-by-side for some time afterwards in the form of a few religious inscriptions. Inscriptions in Eteocretan survive dating from the 7th to the 3rd centuries BC, typically written in the local archaic Greek alphabet
and the Ionia
n Greek alphabet. Five inscriptions have been found that are surely Eteocretan, two in Dreros
and three in Praisos in the Cretan prefecture of Lasithi
. There are several other inscriptions that might be Eteocretan, such as a set of pithos handles, both inscribed with the word ΞΡΤΑΚ (inscribed in retrograde before firing), recently recovered during excavations at the Archaic site of Azoria
in eastern Crete. The context of the pithos fragments suggests a Late Archaic (ca. 500 B.C.) terminus ante quem date for the production of the pithos, probably sometime in the 6th century B.C.
The Eteocretans are mentioned in Homer
's Odyssey
:
This translation by Samuel Butler
is perhaps too loose as it does not mention the Cydonians. Strabo
quotes and elucidates this passage, translated by Horace Leonard Jones as follows:
Where Butler has "of threefold race", which might refer to the three Dorian tribes, Jones has "of waving plumes", which both depend on the etymology of trichaikes, a hapax legomenon
("spoken once", a word which occurs only once in the written records). Strabo, who depends of course on the books available to him, goes on to elaborate:
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
before it was replaced with the language of the mainland
Mycenaean Greece
Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...
; the relationship between Minoan and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
is unknown. While attempts have been made to connect it to other languages, Minoan must be considered unclassified
Unclassified language
Unclassified languages are languages whose genetic affiliation has not been established by means of historical linguistics. If this state of affairs continues after significant study of the language and efforts to relate it to other languages, as in the case of Basque, it is termed a language...
until a linguistic affiliation can be ascertained. The Minoan language was written in Linear A
Linear A
Linear A is one of two scripts used in ancient Crete before Mycenaean Greek Linear B; Cretan hieroglyphs is the second script. In Minoan times, before the Mycenaean Greek dominion, Linear A was the official script for the palaces and religious activities, and hieroglyphs were mainly used on seals....
, a syllabary
Syllabary
A syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent syllables, which make up words. In a syllabary, there is no systematic similarity between the symbols which represent syllables with the same consonant or vowel...
that was used extensively up to 1420 BC, primarily for the purposes of religious inscriptions and administrative records in the Minoan civilization
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans...
.
The Eteocretan (i.e. True Cretan) language is likely descended from Minoan, and is largely written in a Euboean-derived
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
alphabetic script that was the norm after the Hellenic Dark Ages (ca. 1200 BC–800 BC), although Linear syllabic scripts did continue on side-by-side for some time afterwards in the form of a few religious inscriptions. Inscriptions in Eteocretan survive dating from the 7th to the 3rd centuries BC, typically written in the local archaic Greek alphabet
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
and the Ionia
Ionia
Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
n Greek alphabet. Five inscriptions have been found that are surely Eteocretan, two in Dreros
Dreros
Dreros , also Driros, near Neapolis in the district of Lassithi, Crete, is a post-Minoan archaeological site, 16 km. northwest of Aghios Nikolaos...
and three in Praisos in the Cretan prefecture of Lasithi
Lasithi
Lasithi is the easternmost regional unit on the island of Crete, to the east of Heraklion. Its capital is Agios Nikolaos, the other major towns being Ierapetra, Sitia and Neapoli. The mountains include the Dikte to the west and the Sitia Mountains to the east...
. There are several other inscriptions that might be Eteocretan, such as a set of pithos handles, both inscribed with the word ΞΡΤΑΚ (inscribed in retrograde before firing), recently recovered during excavations at the Archaic site of Azoria
Azoria
Azoria is an archaeological site on a double-peaked hill overlooking the Gulf of Mirabello in eastern Crete in the Greek Aegean. "Azoria" is a local toponym, not apparently an ancient place name or epigraphically-attested Greek city...
in eastern Crete. The context of the pithos fragments suggests a Late Archaic (ca. 500 B.C.) terminus ante quem date for the production of the pithos, probably sometime in the 6th century B.C.
Eteocretans
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
:
This translation by Samuel Butler
Samuel Butler
Samuel Butler may refer to:*Samuel Butler , author of Hudibras*Samuel Butler , classical scholar, schoolmaster at Shrewsbury, Bishop of Lichfield...
is perhaps too loose as it does not mention the Cydonians. Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
quotes and elucidates this passage, translated by Horace Leonard Jones as follows:
Where Butler has "of threefold race", which might refer to the three Dorian tribes, Jones has "of waving plumes", which both depend on the etymology of trichaikes, a hapax legomenon
Hapax legomenon
A hapax legomenon is a word which occurs only once within a context, either in the written record of an entire language, in the works of an author, or just in a single text. The term is sometimes used incorrectly to describe a word that occurs in just one of an author's works, even though it...
("spoken once", a word which occurs only once in the written records). Strabo, who depends of course on the books available to him, goes on to elaborate:
Decipherment theories
Very little is known about Eteocretan except that it may be the descendant of a language recorded on the Linear A tablets.See also
- Combinatorial method (linguistics)Combinatorial method (linguistics)The combinatorial method is used to study texts which are written in an unknown language, and to study the language itself, where the unknown language has no obvious or proven well-understood close relatives, and there are few bilingual texts which might otherwise have been used to help understand...
- Cretan hieroglyphsCretan hieroglyphsCretan hieroglyphs are hieroglyphs found on artifacts of Bronze Age Minoan Crete . Symbol inventories have been compiled by Evans , Meijer , Olivier/Godart...
- Linear ALinear ALinear A is one of two scripts used in ancient Crete before Mycenaean Greek Linear B; Cretan hieroglyphs is the second script. In Minoan times, before the Mycenaean Greek dominion, Linear A was the official script for the palaces and religious activities, and hieroglyphs were mainly used on seals....
- Aegean languages
- EteocypriotEteocypriotEteocypriot was a pre-Indo-European language spoken in Iron Age Cyprus. The name means "true" or "original Cyprian" parallel to Eteocretan, both of which names are used by modern scholarship to mean the pre-Greek languages of those places. Eteocypriot was written in the Cypriot syllabary, a...