New book review: The New Documents in Mycenaean Greek

The New Documents in Mycenaean Greek (edited by John Killen) is the long-awaited update to the foundational work of the study of the Linear B tablets of Mycenaean (Late Bronze Age) Greece – Michael Ventris and John Chadwick’s Documents in Mycenaean Greek. This work was first published in 1956 (just four years after Ventris’ decipherment of the script), and then updated for a second edition in 1973. Hence why the latest update (really a rewrite, as shown by the title, with contributions from a wide range of experts in the field of Mycenology) has been eagerly awaited for some time! It will be a crucial reference work for anyone working on the Linear B tablets – it’s certainly extremely useful for students on my own MA course in Linear B and Mycenaean Greek – but to find out more details about why, as well as some caveats on the less successful aspects and tips on how to use it most productively as a student or researcher, you can read my review in full on the Bryn Mawr Classical Review website.

The new documents in Mycenaean Greek