Overview

The Mycenaean civilization flourished in Greece and the surrounding islands in the Aegean Sea around 1400 B.C., during the era Homer depicted in his epics the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Mycenaean language was written in a script known as Linear B. Sir Arthur Evans first discovered specimens of the Linear B script in 1900 in Crete, and Michael Ventris deciphered them about 50 years later. The ability to read the Mycenaean texts shed new light on this important culture.

Background

The Bronze Age civilization of Crete was the first society in Europe to be capable of fine craftsmanship, public architecture, and writing. It is often called the Minoan civilization, after the legendary King Minos, who was said to have ruled the Cretan city of Knossos. The Minoans spoke...