Read Next
Discover
Mycenaean language
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
Also known as: Mycenaean Greek language
Mycenaean language, the most ancient form of the Greek language that has been discovered. It was a chancellery language, used mainly for records and inventories of royal palaces and commercial establishments. Written in a syllabic script known as Linear B, it has been found mostly on clay tablets discovered at Knossos and Chania in Crete and at Pylos, Mycenae, Tiryns, and Thebes on the mainland, as well as in inscriptions on pots and jars from Thebes, Mycenae, and other cities that imported these vessels from Crete.