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RIVISTA DI FILOLOGIA

E ANTICHITÀ EGEE

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PASIPHAERIVISTA DI FILOLOGIA

E ANTICHITÀ EGEE

IV(2010)

PISA · ROMA

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Autorizzazione del Tribunale di Pisa n. 30 del 28 dicembre 2001Direttore responsabile: Lucia Corsi

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issn 1974-0565issn elettronico 2037-738x

SOMMARIO

atti del colloquio internazionale“riflessioni sulla cronologia egea alla luce

delle recenti scoperte di santorini”,milano, 27-28 aprile 2009

Programma 11Elenco dei partecipanti 13

Discorsi di apertura

Saluto del Magnifico Rettore dell’Università iulm di Milano, Giovanni Puglisi 17Saluto della prof. Anna Sacconi, Dipartimento di Filologia Greca e Latina, Sapienza, Uni- versità di Roma 21

Introduzione ai lavori

Louis Godart, Introduction 25

Testi delle relazioni

Christos Doumas, The Eruption of the Santorini Volcano and Aegean Chronology 29Louis Godart, Santorin et la chronologie égéenne du second millénaire avant notre ère 37Yannis Maniatis, New Radiocarbon Dates From Akrotiri, Thera 41Stavros P. Papamarinopoulos, Understanding Santorini’s Prehistoric Past 53Jean-Claude Poursat, Avant Akrotiri : la chronologie égéenne pour l’époque des premiers pa- lais crétois 61Peter Warren, The Date of the Late Bronze Age Eruption of Santorini on the Basis of the Hi- storical Chronology 67

Tavola rotonda

Mario Negri, Introduzione alla Tavola rotonda 75Giulio M. Facchetti, A Key Date of Cretan History 77Anna Margherita Jasink, Cypriote versus Aegean Chronology : Introductory Remarks 81Artemis Karnava, The LM IA Cretan Sealings from Akrotiri : Chronological and Historical Implications 87Erika Notti, The Theran Epigraphic Corpus of Linear A : Geographical and Chronological Implications 93

Discussione generale 97

Conclusioni

Louis Godart, Conclusions 105

articoli

Mario Iodice, Miceneo a-nu-to 113Yannis Maniatis, Xeni Arapogianni, Louis Godart, Kavkania : le mot de la fin 117Natalia Manzano, Il valore del segno metrico *112 = t a Tebe e a Pilo 135

8 sommario

Celestina Milani, Nomi micenei in -qo-ro 195Vassilis P. Petrakis, Localising Pylian Religion : Thoughts on the Geographic References in the Fr Tablets Provoked by a New Quasi-Join 199

THE THERAN EPIGRAPHIC CORPUS OF LINEAR A : GEOGRAPHICAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL

IMPLICATIONS

Erika Notti*

New results based on absolute radiocarbon dating and related archaeometric dating techniques point to a revised high chronology for the East Mediterranean as a consequence

of a date about 100 years earlier than traditionally assumed for a cardinal event in the Late Bronze Age chronology : the volcanic eruption of Thera. 1 Consistently adopted, this real revolution would require a complete re-examination of generally accepted archaeological data, both at the specific level of the second millennium B.C. chronologies and the historical level. Further clues 2 to the open question of the Aegean chronology may also be derived, however, from palaeo-graphic evidence. The focus of this paper is therefore to define the collocation of the Theran epi-graphic corpus of linear A in the Minoan panorama, in order to foster research into the definition of a consistent historical pattern. ³

On the basis of currently available evidence, the Theran epigraphic corpus of linear A is unfor-tunately not very rich. The list of published documents includes : 4

THE Zb 1 (pithos rim fragment bearing three signs, Potamos, 1899) ; 5

* Istituto di Scienze dell’Uomo, del Linguaggio e dell’Ambiente, Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione iulm, Via Carlo Bo 8, 20143 Milano, erika.notti@iulm.it.

1 W. Friedrich et al., “Santorini Eruption Radiocarbon Dated to 1627-1600 B.C.”, Science 312 (2006), p. 548 ; S. Manning et al., “Chronology for the Aegean Late Bronze Age 1700-1400 B.C.”, Science 312 (2006), pp. 565-569.

2 The clues which I present in this paper are mainly derived from an analysis conducted on photographs and facsimiles provided by currently available documentation. As regards AB 08 in the Cretan (and Cycladic) corpus of linear A : GORILA = L. Godart, J.-P. Olivier, Recueil des inscriptions en linéaire A, Paris 1976-1985 ; N. Dimopoulou, J.-P. Olivier, G. Réthémiotakis, “Une statuette en argile avec inscription en linéaire A de Poros/Irakliou, BCH 117 (1993), pp. 501-21 ; E. Hallager, M. Vlasakis, “New Evidence of Linear A Archives from Khania”, Kadmos 25 (1986), pp. 108-18 ; A. Karetsou, L. Godart, J.-P. Olivier, “In-scriptions en linéaire A du sanctuaire de sommet minoen du mont Iouktas, Kadmos 24 (1985), pp. 89-147 ; M. Tsipopoulou, E. Hallager, “Inscriptions with Hieroglyphs and Linear A from Petras, Siteia”, SMEA 37 (1996), pp. 7-46 ; M. Andreadaki-Vlasaki, E. Hallager, “New and Unpublished linear A and Linear B Inscriptions from Khania”, in Proceedings of the Danish Institute at Athens V (2007), pp. 7-22. I have not included in my comparative analysis occurrences of AB 08 which are not clearly visible, nor documents whose attribution to the corpus of linear A is uncertain.

³ Taken with due caution, ductus variations may suggest chronological – and sometimes geographical – implications. Naturally, palaeographic results alone cannot provide an answer to the open question of the Aegean chronology ; rather they may perhaps add another small piece to the puzzle. The present analysis is not intended to go into the question of scribal hands, but only to investigate the variation in sign forms. As regards scribal hands of the linear A corpus : GORILA, cit. (n. 2), IV, pp. 83-113 and related references. As regards scribal hands of the linear B corpus : C. Skelton, “Methods of Using Phylogenetic Systematics to Reconstruct the History of the Linear B Script”, Archaeometry 50 (2008), pp. 158-176 – I have learned of Skelton’s recent publication from Carlo Consani, to whom I wish to give due thanks ; cf. also T. G. Palaima, The Scribes of Pylos, Roma 1988 ; E. L. Bennett Jr., “Some Local Differences in the Linear B Script”, Hesperia 35 (1996) pp. 295-309.

4 I have learned of the recent publication of THE Zb 6 and THE 7-12 from Maurizio Del Freo, to whom I am truly grateful. I also wish to thank Artemis Karnava for sending me her comprehensive study on “written and stamped records” of the Cyclades (A. Karnava, “Written and Stamped Records in the Late Bronze Age Cyclades : the Sea Journey of An Administration”, in Horizon. A Colloquium on the Prehistory of the Cyclades, N. Brodie, J. Doole, G. Gavalas, C. Renfrew (ed.), Cambridge 2008, pp. 377-386). Further information on the Theran documents “for which only preliminary notices have appeared” are provided in her work. She also included in her study [THE Zb 14], the oval-mouthed amphora found in Akrotiri, Complex Δ, room 3 (A. Michailidou, “Indications of Literacy in Bronze Age Thera”, Minos 35-36 (2000-2001), pp. 7-30), whose interpretation remains, however, uncertain (M. Del Freo, “Rapport 2001-2005 sur les textes en écriture hiéro-glyphique crétoise, en linéaire A et en linéaire B”, in Colloquium Romanum. Atti del XII colloquio internazionale di micenologia, Roma, 20-25 febbraio 2006, A. Sacconi, M. Del Freo, L. Godart, M. Negri (ed.), Pisa-Roma 2008, pp. 199-222).

5 GORILA, IV, p. 101.

94 erika notti

THE Zb 2 ( jug bearing four signs, Akrotiri, Complex Δ, 1970) ; 6THE Zb 3 ( jug bearing two signs, Akrotiri, Complex Δ, 1970) ; 7THE Zb 4 (pithos lid fragment bearing two signs, incised after firing, Akrotiri, Arvaniti 1,

1968) ; 8THE Zg 5 (ostrakon bearing five signs with numerical entries, incised after firing, Akrotiri) ; 9THE Zb 6 (pithos of Cretan manufacture bearing four signs, Akrotiri, House of the Ladies

1990) ; 10THE 7-12 (fragments of clay tablets bearing syllabograms, ideograms and numerical entries,

Akrotiri Room Δ18a 1993) ; 11THE Zb 13 : (pithos rim fragment, Akrotiri, Trench 64 A south of Xeste 2 2000). 12Some objective results emerge from a comparison between the Cretan (and Cycladic) corpus of

linear A and the Theran corpus : the documents from Minoan Crete and Thera show analogous epigraphic and palaeographic characteristics ; no relevant differences are traceable to Theran specificity ; no new signs have been found in the Theran corpus which modify the Cretan graphic system ; it is clear that Minoan Crete and Thera shared the same script traditions and writing hab-its ; the same writing materials were in use ; the same functions were certainly attributed to writ-ing ; nothing leads us to suppose that different syllabaries were in use. In view of this, this study aims to conduct a palaeographic analysis in order to highlight ductus similarities, or, vice versa, eventual small but not irrelevant divergences, which may suggest historical implications.

Bearing in mind the risks inherent to the fragmentary and haphazard nature of the docu-mentary evidence, which cannot be ignored during an analysis of this type, I chose to start my palaeographic investigation with the observation of the occurrences of the sign AB 08, 1³ which both from a quantitative point of view (based on the absolute number of occurrences) and a qualitative point of view (for the particularity of the outline) seems to be highly suitable for suf-ficiently significant and reliable comparisons. 14 My exhaustive study of the entire epigraphic corpus (including administrative and non-administrative documents, on different inscribed objects) has allowed me to identify points of coincidence in intentional features, that is to say those which are not unintentionally caused by the factors which are known to affect writing, such as the size and physical structure of the object. These have been taken as a parameter to identify the vari-ants of the sign found in and outside Crete. A code in capital letters has been attributed to each occurrence of AB 08 (main code : AD 15 = the form of the sign does not evoke a cross ; CD/BD 16 =

6 GORILA, IV, p. 102. 7 GORILA, IV, p. 103. 8 GORILA, IV, p. 104. 9 A. Michailidou, “‘Ostrakon’ with Linear A Script from Akrotiri (Thera). A non Bureaucratic Activity ?”, Minos 27-28

(1995), pp. 7-24.10 C. Boulotis, “OI PINAKIDES GRAMMIKHS A APO TO AKRWTHRI (THE 7-12) OYEIS THS OIKONOMIKHS

ZWHS TOU OIKISMOU”, in BAAH, Athinai 2008, p. 70. 11 C. Boulotis, “OI PINAKIDES GRAMMIKHS A APO TO AKRWTHRI (THE 7-12)”, cit. (n. 10), pp. 67-93 ; see also

C. Boulotis, “Les nouveaux documents en linéaire A d’Akrotiri (Théra) : remarques préliminaires”, BCH 122 (1988), pp. 407-411.

12 A. Karnava, I. Nikolakopoulou, “A Pithos Fragment with a Linear A Inscription from Akrotiri, Thera”, SMEA XLVII (2005), pp. 213-225. Karnava and Nikolakopoulou have identified six visible signs (two more raised) and a numerical entry. The peculiarity of the document, which is underlined by the authors, leads to consider the inscription with due caution. The ductus singularities of the signs – although the sign identified by the authors as AB 08 appears to be more easily trace-able to the corpus of linear A – do not seem to provide sufficiently reliable comparisons for the present comparative analy-sis. During a discussion with Mario Negri and Giulio Facchetti, further clues emerged which might even lead us to doubt the attribution of this inscription to the corpus of linear A. Naturally, this complex issue cannot be fully discussed on this occasion. For these reasons, I have decided not to include this document in my systematic analysis.

1³ As is known, the sign AB 08 evokes a ritual object which was very important in the Minoan world. In fact, AB 08 is the linear representation of the double-axe.

14 The first results of my ongoing analysis, which I present in this paper, concern only ductus comparisons conducted on the occurrences of AB 08. I present them on this occasion because they may already provide a fully relevant contribution to the open question of the Aegean chronology. They should be taken cautiously, however, until this exhaustive palaeo-graphic analysis is finished. 15 Main code AD = .

16 Main code CD/BD = .

the theran epigraphic corpus of linear a 95

typical variant of the sign ; AVER/AEP 17 = one more vertical stroke/dot ; CCH 18 = the most com-plex variant with one more horizontal stroke at the right angle to vertical stroke, AO 19 = two parallel horizontal strokes ; secondary characteristic features : F = stylized lateral strokes, G = iconic – concave – lateral strokes, H = iconic – convex – lateral strokes). 20 The occurrences of AB 08 have thus been classified and catalogued with identifying codes into five main groups of non-iconic variants. 21

In the Theran epigraphic corpus under study AB 08 occurs four times : in THE Zb 2, THE Zb 3, THE Zb 4 and THE Zb 6. Each of these occurrences of AB 08 has parallels in the Cretan corpus of linear A (the linear B corpus also includes homomorphic signs with ductus similarities). The occurrence of AB 08 in THE Zb 6 – the pithos of Cretan manufacture – is traceable to the classical variant type – with the greatest number of occurrences – which spread throughout the Middle and Late Minoan periods.

THE Zb 2, and THE Zb 4, which shows a very long upper extension of the stylized lateral strokes, 22 suggest analogies with the less visibly naturalist variant of the sign made up of only four basic strokes. This variant, which occurs in the entire corpus under study in an anyway minimal number of cases, shows a further degree of stylization with respect to the typical variant of the sign. 2³ In particular, in the light of macroscopic examination and systematic analysis, ZA 7a 2-3 24 and HT Zb 159 – besides the evocative parallel offered by the ligatured vase logogram MA 10b.2 A 654 404VAS+08 – seem to provide the best parallels. These comparisons therefore seem to lead the research towards Zakros (LM I B) and Haghia Triada (LM I B).

The occurrence of AB 08 in THE Zb 3, in particular, appears of primary importance : it is immediately traceable to a well-noted variant group whose outline is characterised by two parallel horizontal strokes and stylized lateral strokes. 25 This encourages us to consider – with due caution – the concentration of this variant as being inside well-defined geographical and chronological limits. 26 The comparisons with the Cretan occurrences whose outlines are the most discontinuous seem to be particularly trustworthy (Fig. 1). They tend to lead the research anew towards Haghia Triada – which is not surprising – and Zakros, whose palace in a strategic geographical position extended, as is noted, its own economic interests outside the island. 27

The initial results so far obtained through the comparisons between the occurrences of the

17 Main code AVER/AEP = . 18 Main code CCH = . 19 Main code AO = .20 Features regarding proportion and length of traits are considered of minor importance (I = lateral strokes and verti-Features regarding proportion and length of traits are considered of minor importance (I = lateral strokes and verti-

cal stroke of apparently equal length ; J = lateral strokes of apparently smaller length compared to vertical stroke ; K = lateral strokes of greater length compared to vertical stroke ; L = horizontal stroke apparently joining to the midpoint of the lateral strokes ; M = long upper extension of lateral strokes (horizontal stroke apparently joining to the lateral strokes below their midpoint) ; N = lower extension of lateral strokes (horizontal stroke apparently joining to the lateral strokes above their midpoint) ; P = vertical stroke and horizontal stroke of apparently equal length ; q = vertical stroke apparently longer than the horizontal stroke ; R = vertical stroke apparently shorter than the horizontal stroke).

21 E. Notti, “AB 08 Le vie della scrittura”, Alessandria 2 (2008), pp. 249-263 ; E. Notti, “Thera Crete Atlantis” in Proceedings of the II International Conference Atlantis 2008, Athens, 10-11 November 2008, S. Papamarinopoulos (ed.) (in print).

22 The long-upper-stylized-lateral-stroke parameter has a limited distribution in the corpus of linear A (cf. the Arkhanes types (LM I B) ; cf. also : HS Zg 1 (TM I-II, TM III A-B), PO Zg 1 (TM II – III A). The Arkhanes types show a slightly more complex ductus compared to THE Zb 4. E. Notti, “AB 08”, cit. (n. 21), p. 223.

2³ HS Zg 1, code ADFJL/Mq, TM I-II, TM III A-B ; HT 9b.2, code ADFI/JL/MR* – cf. 9a.5 – LM I B ; HT Zb 159, code ADFJLq, LM IB ; IO Za 8, code ADFKNP, MM III - TM I ; MA 10b.2, code ADFI/JLP, MM III ; THE Zb 2 code ADFIL/NP, LM I A ; THE Zb 4, code ADFIMP, LM I A ; PO Zg 1, code ADFJL/Mq* – with ductus singularity : curved vertical line – TM II – III A ; ZA 4a.3, code ADFJLq, LM I B ; ZA 7a.2-3 ADFJLq* – cf. ZA 7a.1-2, b.1– LM I B.

24 ZA 7 is characterised by significant ductus divergences (cf. in particular ZA 7a.2-3, a.1-2 and b.1). 25 HT 14.3, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; HT 15.1, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; HT 92.1, code AOF/HILq, LM I B ; HT 118.3, code

AOFJLP, LM I B ; KH 83.1, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; PK Za 4, code AOHJLP ; PK Za 11a, code AOFJLP ; PK Za 11b, code AOFJLP ; PK Za 11b, code AOFJLP ; PK Za 12a, code AOHJLP ; PK Za 12c, code AOHJLP ; SK Zb 1, code AOFJLq ; THE Zb 3, code AOFJL/NP/R, LM I A ; ZA 10a.1-2, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; ZA 10a.2, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; ZA 10a.3, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; ZA 10a.3-4, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; ZA 10a.4, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; ZA 10a.4-5, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; ZA Zb 3.1, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; ZA Zb 3.1, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; ZA Zb 3.2, code AOFJLq, LM I B ; ZA Zb 3.2, code AOFJLq, LM I B.

26 Cf. A. Karnava, “La minoicizzazione”, in Colloquium Romanum, Pisa-Roma 2008, pp. 401-406.27 E. Notti, “AB 08”, cit. (n. 21), p. 222.

96 erika notti

sign AB 08 in the entire epigraphic corpus thus appear to be of immediate interest in defining the collocation of Thera in the Minoan koiné. The objective data gathered up to now, which seem to be gaining support from the results emerging from the ongoing analysis of AB 06, 28 suggest a consistent chronological framework, dating back to the final phase of the Late Minoan and even foreshadowing the transition period between the Minoan and the Mycenaean culture – the period in which the linear B script was first created. 29

Summary

The first results emerging from a comparative palaeographic analysis for AB 08 suggest a consistent histori-cal framework for the Theran corpus of linear A, dating back to the final phase of the Late Minoan and even foreshadowing the transition period between the Minoan and the Mycenaean culture.

28 Although the typical variant of AB 08 attested in THE Zb 6 is of little help in the present comparative analysis, AB 06 seems to provide more interesting palaeographic clues (cf. in particular ZA 9.4 dated at LM I B, KN Zb 40.2 dated at LM II !) As regards the sequence 08-59-06-46 and his parallels in the Minoan corpus : C. Boulotis, “OI PINAKIDES GRAMMIKHS A APO TO AKRWTHRI (THE 7-12)”, cit. (n. 10), pp. 69-70 ; G. M. Facchetti, M. Negri, Creta minoica : sulle tracce delle più antiche scritture d’Europa, Firenze 2003, pp. 125-137.

29 This study is not intended to advance any hypothesis concerning the Minoan language, nor is it intended to go into philological questions ; rather it is my aim, on this occasion, only to conduct a palaeographic analysis. However, I con-sider it necessary to mention a study by Simon M. Bennet and Gareth Owens : “The Dating of the Linear A Inscriptions from Thera”, Kadmos 38 (1999), pp. 12-18. The authors conclude that “the Theran inscriptions have Minoan comparanda predominantly dating from the MM III/LM I border period, conventionally dated to c. 1600 B.C. in absolute terms, thus strongly suggesting an earlier rather then a later date for the destruction of Akrotiri.” The authors, however, do not seem to consider the distinction between the textual evidence (identification of identical sequences of signs in both the Theran corpus of linear A and the Cretan corpus) and the palaeographic evidence (identification of ductus similarities of the signs). In particular, the authors identify a conclusive parallel between THE Zb 2,4 and KN Zf 13 on the sole basis of the presence of an identical sequence of signs : 08-27. Besides providing little significant evidence, this point may raise two objections. 1) 08-27 is a well-noted incipit not only attested in the earlier documents of the Cretan corpus, but also in later documents (LM I B) such as ZA Zb 3.2, ZA 7a.2-3 and HT 29a.4. Why select only the earlier documents ? 2) The authors’ thesis is not supported by palaeographic evidence, which on the contrary shows significant ductus divergences (this is naturally not unexpected considering the different types and natures of the writing materials) ; cf. C. Consani, M. Negri, Testi minoici trascritti : con interpretazione e glossario, Roma 1999, p. 254.

Fig. 1 AB 08 : Reliable Comparisons. (L. Godart, GORILA I, p. 28 ; IV, p. 32, 103, 112).

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