Wednesday, June 07, 2017

AEGEAN SYLLABIC SIGNS



INVENTORY OF CRETAN AND CYPRIAN SYLLABOGRAMS
P: Pictophonograms (“hieroglyphs”) pictorial glyphs.[1]
PD: Phaistos Disc script (pictophonic, and linear).[2]
A: Linear A syllabary.[3]
B: Linear B syllabary.[4]
AB: Linear A signs identified with their B counterparts.[5]
CA: Cyprian Archaic syllabary (derived from Linear A).[6]
CC: Cyprian Cuneiform (Cypro-Minoan).[7]
C: Linear C, the Cyprian syllabary.[8]

[1] P: Olivier and Godet 1996 (Corpus): 17, 19, 386-429.
[2] PD: Evans 1909: 22-28, 273-293, 276 (table of signs); Duhoux 1977; Fischer 1988; Faucounau 1999: 10 (table), 65-105 (signs). Colless:https://sites.google.com/view/collesseum/phaistosscript
[3] LA: Godart and Olivier 1976-1985 (Recueil) Vol. 5, XXII –LVII.
[4] LB: Ventris and Chadwick 1973 (Documents): 41, 385.
[5] AB: Godart and Olivier 1976-1985 (Recueil) Vol. 5, XXII.
[6] CA: Emilia Masson’s numbering is revised for citation purposes in Olivier 2007: 412 (Nos 1-21).
[7] CC: E. Masson1974: 12-15, Figures 2-4; Olivier 2007: 413-415; Ferrara 2012: 255:Table 5:10, “A tentative standardized signs repertoire”; both Olivier and Ferrara have arbitrarily reduced the number of signs on their tables; but until we know the sound-value of every sign and can dispense with numbering, Masson’s full set of numbers must remain in use.
[8] LC: O. Masson 1983: Figures 1-6.
 
   A (P42, AB8, CA2, CC101, 102, C A) is an ax (axinê), with triangular or curved blades, but these were squared in the stylization process.

   A/HA (B25) arrow?

   AI (A306, B43) possibly a goat (aiks) or an eagle (aietos); cp. QI and ME.

   AU (P17 13a, AB85) a pig.

   E (P28, AB38, CA17, CC38, C E; also PD2) can be related to etheira, “hair” or “horse hair crest on helmets” (Homer).

   I (P31, A28a, AB28, CA21/104, CC104. C I) appears to be an olive branch, hence ‘iketêria (elaia), a suppliant’s olive branch, wound around with wool, and the end of the thread is shown on some of the A28a forms; this causes confusion with the thumb of NO, and these are both mistakenly catalogued under A28; see NO below.

   O (P5, AB61, CC64 84 66, C O) is an eye, still detectable in some Linear A glyphs (HT Wa 1279 shows the pupil and the eyelashes); it has been confused with the BEER sign (AB123) on TL Za 1a

   U (P95, AB10, CC19 20 79, C U) apparently began as ‘ustrix, a porcupine or hedgehog, but its features were lost, and, like KU (dog), it was wrongly seen as a bird.

   BA/PHA (AB56) a ladder with 3 or 4 rungs (not klimaks, but bathron, a set of steps or ladder).

   BU (see PHU)

   DA (P27, P29, AB1, CA18, CC4, C TA) is a leafy twig (thallos) but reduced to a stick form (|-).

   DE (P37, P94c, AB45; CC97, C RO) is a dwelling on legs; its equivalent character on the Phaistos Disc (PD24) is more detailed, with a dome-top and a protruding plate; it resembles some of the later tombs in Lykia; perhaps thêkê, “grave” (or demein, “build”). Because Linear A RO (the + sign) was used for Cyprian LO, a new RO had to be found for the Cyprian syllabary, and apparently DE was adopted for RO.

   DI (P39, AB7) seems to be a net, perhaps on a pole in the present case, and Greek diktuon, “net” comes to mind; P39 represents network and would be the original sign.

   DO (P50, A304, B14) looks like a spear, and doru has that meaning.

   DU (P59, P60, AB51, CC32 46 47 106, C SU) can be seen as a man with a crook, though some of its developed shapes are enigmatic; its original pictogram would be the crook alone (P59, and P60, which has an angle rather than a curve at the top). The staff could be a symbol of power (Greek dunamis, dunasteia); the man (dunastês, potentate) must have been added for clarity, but this detail was obscured in the Linear B version; it reappears in Cyprian SU.

   DWE (B71, P4?)

   DWO (AB118) is a pair of scales, symbolizing “weight”.

   KA (P47, AB77, CA9, CC25, C KA) appears regularly as a cross (+) within a circle, like Tet in the Phoenician alphabet, and Theta; its source would be P47, a cane basket with a handle, sometimes with elaborate cross-hatching, but more often with no weaving indicated; the AB form has omitted the handle and simplified the wickerwork; the corresponding Egyptian hieroglyph (V31) of a wickerwork basket with a handle is viewed from the side; it represents k, but the reason is unknown; Kaptarian KA can readily be connected with Greek kaneon, “cane basket”. The Alashian KA (CA9) started as the encircled cross but the lower part of the circle was pruned.

   KE (P36, AB44, CA19, CC107 105, C KE) is a structure, possibly a booth or a shrine, or a stage for actors, skênê (initial s in a consonant cluster would not be represented in this writing system); the disc above it may be the sun, suggesting skias, a shady covering, “pavilion”.

   KI (P57, AB67, CC70, C KI) is obviously a stringed musical instrument (though it came to look like a drinking vessel), and thus kithara, “lyre”,

   KO (P62, AB70, CA10, CC21, C KO) flat-headed nail, gomphos, equivalent to alphabetic Waw.

   KU (P18, AB81, CC110, C KU) looks like a bird in flight (in its AB form), but on closer examination it must be the head of a dog in profile, with an eye and a protruding tongue (P18); the Greek word for “dog” is kuôn. The Cyprian form is on its side, with the tongue pointing upwards.

   KRA (P82, AB34, A308?) represents an eye with its pupil, Greek glênê.

   KRO  (P63 64, A326? 329? B35) depicts a cord wound on a stick (the origin of Q in the alphabet, from qaw, a line); the stick was eventually bent to make B35 (KRO) look like B34 (KRA), but they have opposite forms; they are usually regarded as unidentified.

   LA (CC87, from A60 RA).

   LE (CC76, a new creation; C LE resembles 8).

   LI (CC 9, from A53 RI).

   LO (CC5, from A2 RO).

   LU (CC 24, a new formation).

   MA (AB80, CC43, 49, 52, 53, C MA) is undoubtedly a cat (as also PD29) and the MA might be the sound of its mewing (mao); ME, MI, and MU apparently have a similar origin in animal vocalisation); but there are not many cat-glyphs in the pictophonic inventory (*P97); possibly the ma-syllable was first represented by a breast-glyph (P34a, see also PE, P34b), mastos or malon (Doric).

   ME (P16, AB13, CC35, C ME) the head of a sheep with horns; perhaps mêlon “sheep” (or sometimes goat), or mêkas (mêkaomai,“bleat”, of sheep or goat), as MA (cat), MI (bird), MU (cow) are apparently derived from animal sounds. The P16 collection of goats and sheep may include AI and QI.

   MI (P13b, AB73, CC91 89 90, C MI) is a bird with its beak open and vocalising, evoking minurisma, “warbling”; note that the P13 collection includes some animal heads, notably pig (P13a, P17, AB85, AU) and some bovines (P13c, P14).

   MO (P68, A321?, B15, CC73, C MO) is enigmatic; P68 might be a variant of TE (tree), but it could be a spine with ribs, like the Egyptian djed column, symbolizing “stability”, and this would match Greek monimos, “stable, steadfast”; the Cyprian forms support this view.

   MU (P12, AB23, CA5. CC55, 39, 42, 54, C MU) is a bovine head in profile, with horn and ear, and suggests mukêma, “bellowing”; the Cyprian forms seem to have moved to a frontal view; see QO.

   NA (P78, AB6, CA4, CC8, C NA) represents an eye with a flow (nama) of tears (Sophocles: dakruôn therma nama); the Phaistos Disc equivalent (PD3) has a man’s head with two tears on his cheek, and it also appears on PH Wc 45.

   NE (P52, AB24, CA20, CC2, 18, 34, 56, C NE) is a libation vessel with handle and spout; possibly from nektar, the drink of the gods; on KH 53 it stands beside the BEER mug with strainer.

   NI (P24, AB30, CA16, CC99, 100, 65, C NI) a fig tree, Cretan Greek nikuleon, “fig”. Perhaps this is an indication that the Aegean writing system originated in Crete, rather than elsewhere, and the language it was based on was a Cretan dialect of "Danaic" (Greek).

   NO (P8, A28b, (A)B52, CC17, C NO) is an upraised hand, showing fingers and thumb, and this is clear enough in the Linear B forms; but Linear A NO  and I have been catalogued together in slot 28; they may now be distinguished as AB52 and AB28 respectively; the acrophonic origin may be in nomos, “law”, specifically kheirôn nomos, “law of force” (kheir, “hand”, hence the hand-sign for NO).

   NU (P9, AB55, CA12, CC68, 103, C NU) is a pair of vertical lines joined at the halfway point by a pair of horizontal bars, but also found with curved strokes; it seems to be derived from a hand pictogram (P9) with thumb but no fingers shown, and having two horizontal lines at the base, and so it looks like a mitten (cp. PD8); another example (P83) is closer to the stylized forms of AB55.

   NWA (P6, B48) two hands.

   NAU? (AB36).

   PA (P40, AB3, CC6, C PA) is possibly P40, a ship with its rigging (baris, “an Egyptian boat”?) but it is reduced to a mast with two strokes.                                                                                                  

   PE (P34b? A305, B72, CC11, C PE) appears to be a fetter (cp. PD14), Greek pedê; but its features are lost in transition.

   PI (P20 21 22 79 90, AB39, CC51, 52, C PI) is a bee (Indo-European *bhi, Latin apis); also PD34.

   PO (P43, AB11, CC12, 14, C PO) is certainly an ax (cp. A as a double ax, and PD15); pelekus is a word for “ax” that may or may not be relevant here; likewise bolis, “missile”.

   PU (P49, AB50, CC61, 23, C PU) is a stringed musical instrument; possibly phormingx, a seven-stringed lyre; or burtê, a rare synonym for lyra,“lyre” (Hesukhios). The Cyprian sign may be a development of  AB29; see PHU.

   PHU/BU (P30? AB29) from phulia, “wild olive’?

   PTE (P168? B62) pteruks, “wing”?

   QA (P44, AB16) could be a sauce boat, end view, with the two handles protruding (also PD44?).

   QE (P73 74 75, AB78) a circular object, either a ring or a circle with one or more dots, suggesting a ring, a shield, a pancake (cp. Luwian glyph 181 PANIS), and it may have a connection with kyklos (kwekwlo) “circle”, with extended meanings such as ring and shield.

   QI (AB21) apparently a goat; cp. AI and ME, and also PD30.

   QO (P11, B32, A345?) frontal view of a bovine head (cp. MU, profile), from bous (gwou), “ox, bull. cow”.

   QU (not attested?).

   RA (P7, AB60, CA1, CC87, 88, C LA) a human arm, with the forearm and hand horizontal; Greek brakhiôn means “arm”, but the initial b might block this as supplying acrophonic RA.

   RE (P23, AB27, CC33, C RE) a lily (leirion); neither Cyprian LE nor RE looks like the AB sign.

   RI (P10, AB53, CC9, C LI) a human leg (cp. PD28, an animal leg).

   RO (P70, AB2, CA7, CC5, C LO) is a cross; A2 is usually +, but B2 has the centre line elongated at both ends; P70 is the corresponding pictograph; the acrophonic source could be rhombos, something that can twirl, such as a spinning top; B68 (RO2, ryo) could be the same thing.

   RU (P92, AB26) is a lampstand (lukhnia) with two branches. In the Cyprus syllabary, RU (CA 11, CC 28) has an umbrella shape (rather than an umbrella blown inside out, in the Cretan form); Cyprian LU (CC24) is similar, but apparently a new creation.

   RAI (B76)

   RYA (P69, P71, A314, AB76) apparently a flowing stream, rheô (“flow”).

   RYO (B68) see RO.

   SA (P19, AB31, CA3, CC82, 57, 16, 48, C SA) is a squid, a cuttle-fish (sêpia).

   SE (P26, P3?, AB9, CA14, CC44,45, C SE) a plant, perhaps parsley (selinon), used for a victor’s crown in games (see P3, where it is on a human head).

   SI (P55, AB41, CC27 58, C SI) a tripod vessel containing a stalk of wheat (sitos).

   SO (P46. P80, P87, A301, A324, AB12, CC67, 60, C SO) has long remained unrecognized, but the adz of the craftsman is detectable; sophia means skill in arts and crafts, as well as wisdom. The Cyprus sign apparently has the tool turned on its side.

   SU (P35. AB5) appears to be a pig-sty (supheos). For Cyprian SU, see DU.

   SWA? (B82)

   SWE? (AB49)

   SWI? (B64)

   TA (P56, AB59) is a writing tablet; Greek tabella and tablion are perhaps too late, but trapeza might suffice. For Cyprian TA, see DA.

   TE (P25, AB4, CA13, CC7 62, C TE) is a tree (as perhaps in terebinthos, turpentine-tree, or possibly connected to dendron), originally with branches reaching upwards, but eventually outwards (like a telegraph pole).

   TI (P49, P93, AB37, CA15, CC23, C TI) is a pointed instrument, conjuring up the stig root (stigeus, “brander”, stigma,“puncture mark”, stizô, “prick” or “brand”).

   TO (P48, AB5, CC13 78, C TO) is a bow (toxon) with an arrow, but the curve was straightened, and the string was reduced to a small stroke (cp. PD11, a bow with no arrow).

   TU (P77, AB69, CC26 30 31 32, C TU) is a depiction of hanging fruit, ripe and ready for gathering (trugê); the verb trugaô means “gather in ripe fruits” (including grapes and grains); but a better acrophonic source might be found.

   TWE (B87)

   TWO (B91)

   TYA (P84? AB66)

   WA (P41, AB54, CA6, CC95, C WA) looks like cloth on a loom, so a connection with a weave word (root wa-?) seems likely.

   WE (P61, A319, B75, CC 1, C WE) seems to be a worm or snake (P61) and Latin vermis has the required WE (cp. PD42, a caterpillar?); B75 has the shape of a reversed S; and A319 is like capital I, the form that appears consistently in the Cyprus scripts; both are derived from an original oblique Z form.

   WI (P85, AB40, CC41 37, C WI)

   WO (P2? AB180, B42, CC29 41, C WO) a razor (cp. PD44)?

   WU (not found)

   YA (P38, AB57, CA8, CC69 71 72?, C YA) is clearly a door, and Latin ianua has to be invoked here for the ancient root ya (“go”), which occurs as ienai (“go”) in YE (AB46, a person walking).

   YE (P4?, P91?, AB46, CC36) a walker (cp. PD1); see YA.

   YI (AB47?, CC40?) a combination of o and X, with the arms protruding.

   YO (P54, A349, B36, CC98, C YO) a vessel with two handles.

   YU (uncertain, possibly AB65; no Cyprian syllabogram); YU is found together with U on tablets HT 117a and 122b.

   ZA  (AB17) the Egyptian symbol of life (‘ankh), Greek zaô, “live”, zôê, “life”.

   ZE (P45, AB74, CC88 86 93 92, C ZE) a saw (kseô, “plane”?) or a comb (ksainô, “card wool”?).

   ZI (not identified)

   ZO (P51, A312, AB20) a sculptor’s chisel (ksois)? (CC59 and C ZO are different).

   ZU (P81? AB79)


[1] P: Olivier and Godet 1996 (Corpus): 17, 19, 386-429.
[2] PD: Evans 1909: 22-28, 273-293, 276 (table of signs); Duhoux 1977; Fischer 1988; Faucounau 1999: 10 (table), 65-105 (signs). Colless:https://sites.google.com/site/collesseum/phaistosscript
[3] LA: Godart and Olivier 1976-1985 (Recueil) Vol. 5, XXII –LVII.
[4] LB: Ventris and Chadwick 1973 (Documents): 41, 385.
[5] AB: Godart and Olivier 1976-1985 (Recueil) Vol. 5, XXII.
[6] CA: Emilia Masson’s numbering is revised for citation purposes in Olivier 2007: 412 (Nos 1-21).
[7] CC: E. Masson1974: 12-15, Figures 2-4; Olivier 2007: 413-415; Ferrara 2012: 255:Table 5:10, “A tentative standardized signs repertoire”; both Olivier and Ferrara have arbitrarily reduced the number of signs on their tables; but until we know the sound-value of every sign and can dispense with numbering, Masson’s full set of numbers must remain in use.
[8] LC: O. Masson 1983: Figures 1-6.

My studies on the ancient scripts of the lands in and around the Mediterranean Sea (West Asia, North Africa, Europe, Cyclades, Crete, Cyprus) have been life-long, but my first publication on the subject dates from 1988: it is an attempt to identify the original picture-signs (pictophonograms,  picture-symbols representing a unit of speech, either a syllable or a single sound) that produced the various letters of the Semitic (Phoenician, Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabian) and Greco-Roman alphabets. Preceding this simple writing system, which was a consonantary (indicating consonants but not vowels), and which I call the protoalphabet, there was also a pictophonographic syllabary used in the West Semitic region (notably at Byblos), and this syllabic system was in use in the 23rd century BCE, before the invention of the West Semitic protoalphabet and before writing appeared in Crete. My working hypothesis is that the West Semitic syllabary provided the model for the Aegean systems, and also for the Luwian script ('hieroglyphic Hittite') of Anatolia, and even the Meso-American writing systems, including the Mayan logosyllabary.
   There were four syllabic scripts used on Crete in the Bronze Age (before 1200 BCE approximately). In the subsequent Iron Age, the Phoenician and Greek alphabets were employed, and the syllabaries were discarded (though in Cyprus a syllabary based on the Cretan script, specifically Linear A, continued to flourish).
The three main Cretan systems were related, as a genealogical family.
(1) Pictophonographic syllabary (PA) > (2) Linear A syllabary (LA) > (3) Linear B syllabary (LB).
(4) The fourth script was another pictophonographic syllabary (PB), which is found on the Phaistos Disc and on other documents, and which seems to be related to the other family (at least to the extent that they have many of their pictorial characters in common).
We can speak of a northern pictophonographic script (KnP, particularly connected with the palaces of Knossos and Mallia) and a southern pictophonographic script (PhP, connected with the Phaistos palace). When the Linear A syllabary was established (as a stylized simplified form of the pictophonographic system) it became universal over the island, and (somewhat paradoxically) the largest corpus of administrative tablets (that have so far been discovered) comes from Hagia Triada, near Phaistos.
   I refrain from applying the term 'hieroglyphic' to the pictophonographic signs; it is a word that should be restricted to Egyptology; it leaves the Phaistos pictophonographs out of the picture; they are all pictorial signs, with nothing 'holy' (hieros) about them.
   It must also be remembered that the three main systems (northern PG, LA, LB) are found beyond Crete, and it is not inconceivable that the original Aegean script was invented on the mainland (Greece) or on another island. An example of the northern pictophonographic writing was found in Kea/Keos, an island east of Athens; it is an impression on a hearth rim; and also Linear A inscriptions. This fact provides support for my hypothesis that this system was constructed acrophonically on the basis of a Hellenic dialect (examples: A axinê 'ax', O ops 'eye', TO toxon 'bow'; NI nikuleon 'fig', a Cretan word, which might imply that Crete was in fact the locus of the invention of the script).
   The signs in the 'linear' forms (LA, LB, and Linear C in Cyprus) are known to have functioned as 'syllabograms' (and also as 'logograms' in LA and LB).
   Two tables are offered here: the first (Cretan Syllabograms) shows my attempt to match up the signs of the three northern systems (PG, LA , LB, as P, A, B), on the principle that the pictorial signs become stylized in the Linear A inventory, and even more so in Linear B; the second table (Cretan Pictosyllabograms) presents the signs of the northern pictophonographic syllabograms.
The P standing for pictophonographic is actually KnP (Knossos P) in the northern context; when it has to be distinguished from the southern script, KnP and PhP (Phaistos P) will be used.
A paradox is that although the Linear A script evolved out of the northern picto-syllabary, the largest collection of Linear A administrative tablets comes from Hagia Triada, adjacent to Phaistos; while Knossos and Mallia have yielded only a few fragmentary clay tablets. However, at Phaistos there are tablets exhibiting the southern script (Phaistos syllabary) as well as the northern Linear A script.
Notice that I reject the defeatist nonsense that there were not many Consonant+O signs in Linear A; supposedly lacking were so, do, dwo, mo, qo, yo, wo, no, two, ryo, zo, though o, po, to, ko, ro were grudgingly accepted onto the table; but it is true that they were not used frequently, and this says something about the language or languages in the Linear A texts.

NORTHERN CRETAN SYLLABOGRAMS
       
A    AB8     P42  (ax)  [axinê]
AI    B43 A306 [aix goat?] (cp ME and QI?) (#016 AI-TA-TI?)
AU  AB85 P17 P13b (pig) [hus? autoboulos, self-willed, pig-headed?!]
HA  B25 (cp Phaistos 10, arrow?) A368?
E    AB38   P28   (hair, crest) [etheira]
I    AB28    P31    (olive) [hiketeria elaia suppliant olive branch]
O    AB61    P5    (eye) [ops, omma, oculus]
U    AB10    P95   (hedgehog) [hustrix]
YA   AB57   P38   (door) [Latin ianua, Sanskrit go]
YE   AB46   P4?   (walking) [ienai going, Sanskrit go]
YI   AB47?
YO  B36 A349  P54 (amphora)
YU   AB65?
WA   AB54    P41    (cloth)
WE    B75 A319      P61  (worm) [werm]  
WI    AB40    P85?       
WO   B42/AB180?  A363? A364? P2? (razor)
WU   
RA    AB60       P7   (arm) [brakhiôn ?]
RYA    B76        P69?   (water-course)     (cp reô flow, roê stream?)
RAI   B33  (same as saffron logogram)
RE    AB27       P23   (lily) [leirion]
RI     AB53       P10   (leg)
RO    AB2         P70   (cross) [rhombos?]
RYO   AB68      P40   (ship? spinning top?) [rhombos?]
RU    AB26       P92    (lamp) [lukhnia menorah]
MA    AB80 (cat) P34 (breasts?) [masta, mala breasts] replaced by P97 (cat) [ma, meow]?
ME    AB13        P16  (sheep) [mêlon, mêkas bleating]
MI     AB73       P13a?  (bird-head?) [minurisma bird-warbling] (or P7 [arm] is not RA?) 
MO    B15  A321 A327 (cp Cyprian MO, and Egyptian djed)  P68 (spine?) [monimos stable]
MU    AB23        P12    (cow) [mukaomai, mukêma, moo-cow bellowing]
NA    AB6          P78    (tearflow) [nama] (dakruôn therma nama Sophokles)
NWA   B48       P6    (crossed arms) (neozeuktos newly-yoked, newly-wed?!)
NE    AB24        P52 + P53 (libation vessel) [nektar divine drink]
NI     AB30        P24    (fig) [nikuleon] (a Cretan word)
NO    B52 A28b P8    (hand) [nomos law] (kheirôn nomos law of force)
NU    AB55        P9 +83?  (glove?) 
PA    AB3          P40? (ship) [baris Egyptian boat]
PE    B72 A305?     P34b? (fetter) [pedê]
PI     AB39        P20 21 22 79 90  (bee)
PO    AB11        P43  (ax)  [pelekus?]
PU    AB50 A369?    P58  (lyre)  [burtê]  
TA    AB59        P56 (tablet) [trapeza, tabula] 
TE    AB4         P25   (tree) [tere-, as in terebinthos]
TI     AB37       P49 +93 (brander) [stigeus puncturing tool]
TO    AB5        P48 (bow and arrow) [toxon]
TU    B69        P77  (fruit)
DA    AB1        P27, 29    (twig) [thalos]
DE    AB45      P37, 94?   (house/tomb) [demein build; thêkê container, grave]
DI     AB7        P39? (= B64?) (netting?) [diktuon]
DO    B14 A304?   P50    (spear?) [doru]
DU    AB51        P59 +60? (crook) [dunastês power-wielder]
KA    AB77        P47    (cane basket)  [kaneon]
KE    AB44        P36    (pavilion)  [skênê]
KI     AB67       P57  (lyre) [kithara]
KO    AB70       P62    P51   (nail)  [gomphos, wedge-shaped nail]
KU    AB81       P18     (dog) [kuôn]       
QA    AB16       P44  (bolt-pin for bar of gate? or key?) [balanos, balanagra key]?
QE    AB78       P73-75   (circular object) [kuklos, kwekwlo]
QI     AB21       P14? P54b?   (animal?)   
QO    B32 B18?  A333? A345? A347?    P11 (bull)  [bous, gwou]
QU
SA    AB31       P19 (cuttlefish, kalamari) [sêpia]
SE    AB9         P26 +3? (parsley, for victor's crown) [selinon]
SI     AB41       P55    (grain in container) [sitos]  
SO    B12 A301? P46 +80 +87   (adz) [sophia craftsmanship? skeparnon adz?]    
SU    AB58       P35 (enclosure) [supheos pig-sty]  
ZA    AB17  B19?      (Egyptian `ankh symbol, life) [zaein, zôê]
ZE    AB74        P45   (saw? comb?) [xainô comb, card; xeô plane, carve)
ZI   
ZO    AB20  A312?      P51? P85 (WI)?  (chisel? sword?) [xois sculptor's chisel]  P51=LA36
ZU    AB79?        P81?        (sun with rays?)
RYA    B76        P69?        P69
RYO    B68                    P40
NWA   B48    006    P6    P6
NAU    B86?            P40?     P40
PA3     AB56    [bathron ladder]      P39
PU2     B29            P30? P32?
TYA      B66            P84, P72?
KRA     B34            P82  [glênê eyeball, pupil]
KRO    B35            P63 P64  [klôstêr thread, line]         
SWI?    B64            P39? DI?

NORTHERN CRETAN PICTO-SYLLABOGRAMS
                               
    CHIC  Brian Colless   (John Younger)
    001    seated human
    002    head? (razor? WO cp P88?)       
    003    head +026     SE (= 026)?
    004    upright human YE? DWE?     
    005    eye    O    (Rv)
    006     *X*  2 arms  NWA      (NWA)
    007    bent arm   RA/LA  (MI)    [MI 013? 057?]
    008    hand  NO  (A3)
    009    glove?  NU 009 +083? (A2)
    010    leg     RI  (RI)
    011    bovine head  (front)  QO (SI2) [11-16 mixed animals]
    012    bovine head  (side)   MU (MU)
    013    bird with open mouth (mixed)  MI (MU2) [some 013? +015?]
    014    animal head    QI?  (I)
    015    animal head? (1x)   +013?  (DU?)     
    016    horned head    ME   (KI2)
    017    pig head  +013    AU (AU)
    018    dog head + tongue  KU  (RA)           
    019    cuttlefish, sepia      SA  (SA)
    020    bee      PI  (AI)     [PI 020-022 +033? 079? 090?]
    021    bee      PI  (PI)
    022    bee      PI 
    023    lily flower? RE/LE   (TO)
    024    fig tree?     NI  (NI)
    025    tree?          TE  (TE)
    026      _(_(_(_(   SE             [SE 026 +003?]
    027      |/ (3x)     DA? (= 029?)
    028    hair crest    (KU2)
    029    double twig DA (MA)   [DA 27 + 29?]
    030    \}/  (1x)     DA? PU2 (phu)? (PU2)
    031    \|/    I 031? +032?  (RE)     
    032    \!/ (9x)       PU2 (phu)?  (RE2)
    033    }.{ (3x)      ZU? +81
    034    fetters? breasts?  PE +ME? (TA)
    035    pig-pen?       SU (SU)
    036    pavilion         KE (SA2)
    037    house/tomb   DE 037 + 094? (Rv)  [cp PhDisc 24]
    038    door + post    YA (JA)
    039    netting/trellis  DI  (PA3)             DI 039? (=LinB64?)
    040    ship               PA  (RO2)          
    041    cloth?            WA (WA)
    042    double ax       A  (A)
    043    ax                 PO (SO)
    044    metal object   QA (KO)
    045    saw                ZE (ZE)
    046    adz                SO 046 + 080 + 087  ( )
    047    cane basket    KA (QE)
    048    bow & arrow   TO [1x]  ( )                    
    049    /|\                 TI      (RO3)      TI 049 + 093?
    050    spear?            DO  (TI)
    051    dagger? chisel? ZO? (KI3)
    052    ewer                NE  (NE)            
    053    jug                  NE      (KI?)
    054    amphora (2 rams?) YO?     (DE)     YO? +MA? +QI? 
    055    grain vessel?     SI   (KE)              
    056     talent? tablet?  TA    (KU)           
    057      V+  kithara      KI  (KI)          
    058     lyre                  PU (PU)              
    059     crook                DU                DU 059 +060?
    060        |\                  DU?
    061     snake? worm?   WE   or = RI 010?
    062    ___.     KO
  (NA)
    063    _._        KRO?
    064    --o--        KRO?  (DA)
    065    .__.        ?
    066    ||          PA?
    067    *||*        HA?
    068    spine?     MO     (Rv)                  
    069    ZZ        RYA?
    070   cross  +  x             RO (RO)          
    071    }}}       RYA?
    072    triangle   TYA??         (KA)
    073    circle        QE 073? +74 +75
    075    circle (dotted)      QE 075 (1x) + 074 (1x)
    076    ?        YU?
    077    fruit      TU   (RU2)                       MA? ME? NI?
    078    eye and tear-flow?  NA (DO)                             
    079    bee?        PI? (= 020)    
    080    adz        SO (= 046)
    081    (1x)        ZU?
    082    eyeball?        KRA?
    083    (=009?) (1x)        NU?
    084            TYA? TWO?
    085     /+\    WI? (WI)
    086            QO? (= 068?)
    087    adz        SO (= 046)
    088         [razor?     WO? RI =002?
    089    X         YE? PE? RI?
    090    bee?        PI? (= 020)
    091    ^^^        ?
    092    lamp?       RU    (RU)
    093    /|\        TI (= 049) (TI)
    094    /=\        DE? (= 037)
    (097)     (cat)        MA? (MA)


What you see here is a host of hypotheses struggling to become a grand unified theory.

This is a revised and expanded version of my release entitled "Table of Cretan pictoglyphs" (28 July 2003), providing a description or drawing of the characters, and an attempt to match them with their counterparts in the Linear B inventory.

The prefix 'P' stands for 'pictosyllabogram' (or 'pictophonogram'), with the CHIC numbering.


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