Overview

Volume I, Part II, comprises (together with Part I) the main text in the series The Decipherment of Minoan Linear A. Volume I, Parts III-VI, are the indices to the main text and glossaries at the same time. The author shows that the Holy Trinity of the main Hurrian Gods, Tesub, Ḫebat and their son Sarruma is addressed in a sophisticated, poetic way, usually at the beginning of the so-called libation formulas, by means of descriptive epithets. They appear in a fixed order of importance. First Tesub's Linear A epithet a-ta-i-jo-wa-ja 'Our Father', absolutive/vocative attai=(j)=o/uwwa=(j)=as, consisting of attai 'father' + transitional semi-vowel -j- between 2 vowels + enclitic possessive pronoun 1st person sing. -o/uwwa- (my) + transitional semi-vowel -j- between 2 vowels + the pluralizer -as (our). Compare cuneiform Hurrian dTe-e-es-su-pa-as ........ eb-ri-iw-wa-su-us at-ta-iw-wa-su-us (3 ergatives), 'Tesub .... Our Lord, Our Father' in the Tusratta letter (Mit. IV 118). Then the epithet of Tesub's wife Ḫebat, a-di-ki-ti/e(-te), analysis asdi-dagitti, 'The woman is a beauty / beautiful' > 'The (most) beautiful woman', appears (in haplography) in the libation formulas. The form is attested as a-di-da-ki-ti (KN Zc 6.2) in scriptio plena on the interior of a Middle-Minoan III cup at Knossos (asdi = 'woman'). In Linear A and B -s- preceding an occlusive is not expressed in consonant clusters. Then the epithet of the young god Sarrum(m)a appears as a-sa-sa-ra-me, analysis arsa-sarr=a=me, 'The young man/boy, he is like the King of Gods'. The Linear A variant ja-sa-sa-ra-ma-na (KN Za 10a-b) can be analysed as y(a)/y(e)-arsa-sarr=a=mann=a, 'as well as ""The young boy (arsa 'young man') is (mann=(i)a) like the King of Gods"" ', (sarr=a is the essive of Hurrian sarr=i 'King of Gods'). The contents of the prayers in the 'libation formulas' appear to be about the same subject as the meaning of many personal names, in which the birth of healthy children, sometimes after the death of an older child, is always in the minds of the parents. Linear A u-na-ka-na-si, Hurrian un=a-ḫ(ḫ)an=a=ssi 'come childhood, childbirth' is an essential term occurring in almost every formula. It may not be accidental that the name Arkhanes is attested as a]-ka-ne (AK 3a.1+fr. AK.1b.1, join P.G. van Soesbergen) on a Linear A tablet found in the Minoan Villa of Epano Arkhanes. Even more significant is the fact that the toponym can be analysed as Hurrian ar=ḫane/i 'Give a child' and that the Villa of Arkhanes may well have been the starting point for supplicants and priests to go upto the Peak Sanctuary of Mount Ioukhtas to pray to Tesub, Ḫebat and Sarru(m)ma. See for an extensive analysis Chapter 11: 'Religious' Linear A insc

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Reviews

Jacques Raison (Paris) wrote a review in the REVUE DES ETUDES GRECQUES, Tome XCVII, Nos 460-461, 1984, p. 87: Du meme auteur (Peter G. van Soesbergen, BICS 28, 1981, p. 163, resume une conference du 28-5-80 sur le meme sujet 'The historical significance of onomastic data from Linear A and B texts' (texte complet fourni sur demande par la revue). .... Sans pousser jusqu'a l'hieroglyphique, trop mal connu, Van Soesbergen, entre autres preuves, remonte aux origines du lineaire A, dont les traits 'agglutinants' et les caracteristiques orthographiques du syllabaire (inferees de celles du syllabaire B, son heritier), lui paraissent avoir ete concues pour une langue comme celle du Mitanni. Rapprochement de mots du lineaire A et hourrites (assez interessant, quand ils sont suffisamment longs); essai, finalement, point tellement loin d'une esquisse de dechiffrement partiel. Sous la meme signature, bref retour, mais ferme, sur les traits 'hourrites' du lineaire A dans 'Progress in Linear A research', communication au congres EIRENE de septembre-octobre 1982, a Prague (a paraitre dans les actes de cette reunion). En preambule, resume des acquis anterieurs concernant l'ecriture evoquee: il est retenu, comme assure, un peu de chacun et annonce un livre sur The onomastics of the 'Minoan Linear A' and 'Linear B' documents and their historical significance , ainsi qu'un Corpus of transliterated Linear A texts .

"Jacques Raison (Paris) wrote a review in the REVUE DES �TUDES GRECQUES, Tome XCVII, Nos 460-461, 1984, p. 87: ""Du m�me auteur (Peter G. van Soesbergen, BICS 28, 1981, p. 163, r�sume une conf�rence du 28-5-80 sur le m�me sujet 'The historical significance of onomastic data from Linear A and B texts' (texte complet fourni sur demande par la revue). .... Sans pousser jusqu'� l'hi�roglyphique, trop mal connu, Van Soesbergen, entre autres preuves, remonte aux origines du lin�aire A, dont les traits 'agglutinants' et les caract�ristiques orthographiques du syllabaire (inf�r�es de celles du syllabaire B, son h�ritier), lui paraissent avoir �t� concues pour une langue comme celle du Mitanni. Rapprochement de mots du lin�aire A et hourrites (assez int�ressant, quand ils sont suffisamment longs); essai, finalement, point tellement loin d'une esquisse de d�chiffrement partiel. Sous la m�me signature, bref retour, mais ferme, sur les traits 'hourrites' du lin�aire A dans 'Progress in Linear A research', communication au congr�s EIRENE de septembre-octobre 1982, � Prague (� para�tre dans les actes de cette r�union). En pr�ambule, r�sum� des acquis ant�rieurs concernant l'�criture �voqu�e: il est retenu, comme assur�, un peu de chacun et annonc� un livre sur ""The onomastics of the 'Minoan Linear A' and 'Linear B' documents and their historical significance"", ainsi qu'un ""Corpus of transliterated Linear A texts""."

Author Information

Peter G. van Soesbergen (born in Amsterdam, 7th February 1945) studied Classics at the University of Amsterdam (Doctoral Examination cum laude). He pursued research on The archaeological context of Minoan Linear A for ""The Netherlands Organization for Pure Research"" (report of 400 pp.), published several articles and gave papers at international colloquia and congresses (Heraklion, Bucharest, Sheffield, Nottingham, Prague, Rome, Naples), a Mycenaean Seminar on ""The historical significance of onomastic data from Linear A and B texts"" (Institute of Classical Studies, University of London) and special papers on Linear A at Cambridge and Groningen. He pursued research as a Leverhulme European Visiting Fellow and Independent Research Worker at the University of Sheffield, where he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) on the thesis ""The onomastics of the 'Minoan Linear A' and 'Linear B' documents and their historical significance"". He taught Greek, Latin, Ancient History, Archaeology, Mycenology and Andrological examination. After his retirement he is still pursuing research.

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