Mycenaean Greek

Ancient Words from Long Ago

Mycenaean Greek is the oldest form of the Greek language that we know about. It was spoken on the Greek mainland and the island of Crete a very long time ago, from about 1600 to 1100 BC.

People learned about this old language from special writings on clay tablets. These tablets were made with a writing style called Linear B. Smart people figured out how to read it in 1952!

Most of these old tablets were found in places like Knossos on Crete and Pylos on the Peloponnese. Other important spots include Mycenae itself, Tiryns, Thebes, and Chania in Crete.

Even though these tablets are mostly lists of things like food and goods, they help us understand the people who lived in Mycenaean Greece. We can learn about their lives before a time called the Greek Dark Ages.

Fun Facts

• Mycenaean Greek had some special sounds that later changed in the Greek language we know today.
• The word for "king" in later Greek might have come from a Mycenaean word written as qa-si-re-u.
• These old writings help us see how the Greek language began and changed over time.