The Kafkania pebble Approx. 2.0″ (4.9 cm) long x 1.5″ (4.08 cm.) wide x .6″ (1.62 cm.) thick Two sides, eight signs and one “erroneous” sign Since its discovery on April 1, 1994 (April Fool’s Day), at Kafkania, north of Olympia in West Peloponnese, this galet “pebble” has engendered great controversy about its authenticity. The “Kafkania pebble” was embedded in a […]

A bi-script, tomb marker from Psykhro, Crete A yellow brick tentatively dated to the Roman period Four lines, 24 alphabetic-Greek characters and three syllabic-Greek characters, dextroverse Approx. 7″ (17.5 cm) high x 6.5″ (16.3 cm) wide x 2.0″ (4.8 cm) deep The confusion regarding its provenience is among the many reasons for Ray Brown’s “proof” […]

Offerings of Honey Scribe 103 .1      pa-si-te-o-i  /                   me-ri     *209VAS   1 .2  da-pu2-ri-to-jo   /  po-ti-ni-ja     ‘me-ri’     *209VAS   1 1. *209 VAS | amphora 2.  da-pu2-ri-to-jo | †of Deborah, the prophetess of Israel 3.  me-ri | μάρι(ς) (maris) | a liquid measure 3.  me-ri | μερί(ς) (meris) | a contribution, *an offering 3.  me-ri | μελί (meli) | honey 4.  pa-si-te-o-i | […]

The Philosopher’s Seal A philosopher’s maxim Scribe 103 The original transcribed order (pi-mo-no , na-ki-zo , pa-wo) has been changed to facilitate decipherment. α.  pi-mo-no β.  pa-wo γ.  na-ki-zo 1. na-ki-zo | ναξο(ς) (naksos) | a solid 2. pa-wo | φαῦο(ς) (pauos) (Aeolic) | light, daylight 3. pi-mo-no | πήμονο(ς) (pemonos) | the bane of […]

  An inventory of weapons PY Ta 716 Scribe 2 .1 pa-sa-ro , ku-ru-so , a-pi , to-ni-jo 2 wa-o *232 2 .2 qi-si-pe-e *234 2 1. *232 | double axe 2. *234 | spear or sword 3. a-pi | ἐπί (epi) | on, upon; extension over a surface 4. ku-ru-so | χρυσό(ς) (khrusos) | gold […]

Water Pitchers Inscribed stirrup jars (ISJ) Scribes unknown ]pu-ti[ ]pu-ti[ | πυτι (puti) | that which is poured πυτι that which is poured, perhaps water Notes:  Cf.  po-si > πόσις “a beverage, a drink” and πότις (potis) “a drinker”.  Cf., also, potable “drinkable”.

Sheep Husbandry Scribe 117 ta-na-po-so / ra-su-to   OVIS:m 82 OVIS:f 18 1. OVIS:f | sheep: female; ewes 2. OVIS:m | sheep: male; rams 3. ra-su-to | ῥήϊστο(ς) (reistos) (Epic, Ionic) | easy, pleasant; the least painful; requiring delay 3. ra-su-to | ῥαίστω(ρ) (raistor) | one that accomplishes 4. ta-na-po-so | τανύπους (tanupous) (Epic) | long […]

The Pirates’ Tablet Pirates’ spoils Scribe 126 .a                   / de-so-mo .b ku-ka-ro / pi-ri-je-te pa-ka-na a-ra-ru-wo-a PUG 3 a-ra-ru-wo-a | *ἀρηρυοα (areruoa) | * booty taken by force, plunder de-so-mo | δασμό(ς) (dasmos) | the division of spoils de-so-mo | δεσμό(ς) (desmos) | bonds, chains; imprisonment ku-ka-ro | kukkaro | Cuccaro (Vetere) pa-ka-na | *φάκανα for (σ)φάγνο(ς) (spagnos) […]

The Lamb Tablet KN Db 1232 Scribe 117 .1  OVIS:m 23 ,  OVIS:f  27 .2  NA-PU-TI-JO  /  ti-ri-to , pe-ri-qo-ro-jo na-pu-ti-jo | νηπύτιο(ς) (neputios) | a small child; childish OVIS:f | sheep: female; ewes OVIS:m | sheep: male; rams pe-ri-qo-ro-jo | *περιχωρόζω (perikhorozo) | *to be around about a place, to dance or to caper about, to be among ti-ri-to | […]

Tripartite seal Scribe 2 α. vacat. β. vacat. γ. a-pu-do-si 1. a-pu-do-si > ἀπόδοσι(ς) (apodosis) | †to summon a gift; †to summon tribute as compensation 1. a-pu-do-si | † ἀπυδόσι(ς) > ἀπόδοσι(ς) (apodosis) (Doric) | compensation, repayment, restitution α. vacat. β. vacat. γ. ἀπόδοσι from γ. †ἀπυδόσι (Doric) α. vacat. β. vacat. γ. †to summon tribute as compensation Notes:  […]

The Merchant’s Tablet Merchant’s inventory Scribe 124 .1  wo-de-wi-jo .2 .3 .4 .5  to-pe-za , o-u-ki-te-mi  + .6 .7 .8 .9 .10 .11  a-pe-ti-ra2  o-u-te-mi  + .12  o-u-te-mi  + .13  o-u-te-mi  + .14  o-u-te-mi  + .15  e-pi , i-ku-wo-i-pi + = ro || from ku.ro “to count” | *plus [+] a-pe-ti-ri.ja | ηπήτρια (epetria) | cobbler, […]

Updated on February 09, 2014 Shrine Livestock Scribe 21 .1  ne-wo-pe-o , po-ti-ni-ja OVIS:m 100 SUS 190 ne-o-pe-o | *ναόπαό (naopao) (Doric) | *dwelling or shrine of a kinsman by marriage OVIS:m | sheep: male; rams po-ti-ni-ja | πότνια (Potnia) | lady, mistress SUS | pigs .1  *ναόπαό πότνια: rams 100, pigs 190 shrine to Potnia: 100 rams, […]

This is a three-sided seal. α. wa β. pa-ta-jo γ. ḍọ-ka-ma do-ka-ma | δόκημα (dokema) | vision pa-ta-jo | φατειό(ς) (phateios) | speakable, utterable wa | ἁ | α (alpha) privative, which expresses lack; prefix un- α. ἁ privative β. φατειό γ. δόκημα α. un- β. speakable γ. vision Notes: See related inscription BE Zg 1. Hapaxi > do-ka-ma […]

.1  ku-ru-me-no-jo , o-ka , pe-ri-te-u , .2  wo-ne-wa , a-ti-ja-wo , e-ru-ta-ra , .3  o-*34-ta , me-ta-pi-jo , ke-ki-de , .4  VIR 50 .5 .6   u-pi-ja-ki-ri-jo , ku-re-we , VIR 60 .7   me-ta-qe , pe-i , e-qe-ta , .8   a-re-ku-tu-ru-wo , e-te-wo-ke-re-we-|i-jo| .9   -i-jo , .10 .11 ta-ti-qo-we-wo , o-ka , to-wa , .12 po-ki-ro-qo , pe-ri-no , de-u-ka-ri-jo […]

The Tripod Tablet An inventory of vessels and contents Scribe 2 Note the determinatives–tripods and vases–at the end of each line and the numerical correspondences of their projections to certain preceding words in each line.  For example, compare ti-ri-o-we with the vase with three projections. .1a   ke-re-a2 *201 VAS[     [See the superscript at the end of the […]

Two amber talismans from Bernstorff, Germany             German anthropologist and cultural historian Hans Peter Duerr states that the Minoans visited the British Isles, presumably for the tin in Cornwall, from which the North Frisian coast, a rich source of amber, is not much farther. Since its inundation in 1362, the […]