Special vs. Normal Mycenaean: Hand 24 and Writing in the Service of the King?

This paper given in honor of John T. Killen concerns the relationship between the written and the spoken word within the narrowly defined literate administrative record-keeping systems of Mycenaean palatial centers and focuses on questions connected with socio-linguistic stratification and information-gathering.Classic

The Last Days of the Pylos Polity

A conference paper published in Aegaeum, vol. 12, entitled "Politeia: Society and State in the Aegean Bronze Age." This volume comprises the proceedings of the 5th International Aegean Conference, held at the University of Heidelberg from April 10-13, 1994. In his contribution, Palaima deconstructs the old state-of-emergency theory around Pylos tablet Tn 316, and constructs an alternative reading of the evidence.Classic

A New Linear B Inscription from the Land Down Under: AUS HO(ME) Bo 2008

Gag paper on a fictitious Linear B boomerang, given at the 12th International Aegean Conference held in Melbourne.Classic

The Nature of the Mycenaean Wanax: Non-Indo-European Origins and Priestly Functions

The wanax is the central figure of authority in Mycenaean society. This much is clear from studies of the references to wanax in the Linear B tablets, interpretation of the history of the use of the term wanax in Homer and later Greek, and reconstruction of the development of the institution of kingship from the end of the Bronze Age through the Archaic to Hellenistic period. Scholars want to know the same things about the Mycenaean wanax that we do about power figures -- "big men", chieftains, shamans, kings -- in any society: how and when did the wanax originate? How were the institution and authority of the wanax legitimized and maintained? What cultural needs did the wanax satisfy and what powers and responsibilities did he have in different spheres of daily life: religious, political, economic, military, and social? What led to the disappearance of the institution of the wanax in post-palatial Greek culture? Each of these questions is major and multi-faceted. Here Palaima discusses them and problems connected with them in two parts. In the first part he rejects the Indo-European model of a warrior-king in favor of a priest-king more along the lines of Hittite models. In the second part he pursues several speculative arguments related to the paraphernalia of Mycenaean kingship.Classic

Coming in 2012: The Latin American and Latino Studies Digital Library

Latin American Studie

Mycenaean Militarism from a Textual Perspective. Onomastics in Context: lawos, damos, klewos

In this paper, after surveying the Linear B textual evidence that demonstrates palatial concern for centralized control and organization of military equipment and personnel, Palaima uses the evidence of onomastics and of textual/administrative context to explore the varying degrees to which fundamental cultural notions of 'militarism' permeated different levels and components of Mycenaean society. He particularly marks out: (1) the factors that must be taken into account in weighing the tablet evidence and (2) the tablet series and subject areas that are likely to yield meaningful results. Palaima concentrates on three terms (lawos, damos and klewos) that offer a view across social groups and divisions, and assesses the evidence in contrast to naming patterns in the historical period. He further examines the names of individuals who have been identified as 'collectors.'Classic

ΘÛµις in the Mycenaean Lexicon and the Etymology of the Place-Name *ti-mi-to a-ko

Reassessing work by Spanish scholars Martín S. Ruipérez and Mercedes Aguirre de Castro, this paper examines words in the Linear B texts that have been connected with the later Greek word themis. New readings of several key texts and a fuller understanding of the still much-debated tablet KN V(2) 280 argue against interpreting any words as connected with themis. This is consistent with the general absence of references to legal procedures in the Mycenaean records and the conspicuous absence in the Linear B inscriptions of any derivatives of the word for the notion of 'justice' äÝëè, which occurs so prominently in historical Greek literature and even as a formative element in historical personal names. The paper further explores the significance of these conclusions for the interpretation of the toponym *ti-mi-to a-ko, a prominent provincial capital in the Pylos tablets which has been identified archaeologically as the site of Nichoria. Using the results of three separate surveys and archaeobotanical studies of the region and the work of José L. Melena and José Fortes Fortes with botanical terms from the Mycenaean and historical periods, I propose that the interpretation 'agkos of the terebinth trees' would fit both the topography of the environs of Nichoria and the attested high exploitation of products from the terebinth trees in late palatial Crete and Messenia. Stephanus of Byzantium cites the toponym Tremithous in Cyprus, and there are other examples.Estudiando de nuevo los trabajos de los investigadores españoles Martín S. Ruipérez y Mercedes Aguirre de Castro, este artículo examina los términos que en los textos en lineal B se han puesto en relación con la palabra themis del griego alfabético. Nuevas lecturas de varios textos clave y una comprensión más exacta de la tablilla KN V(2) 280, objeto todavía de una viva discusión, sirven de argumento contra la interpretación de cualquier palabra como emparentada con themis. Esto concuerda con la ausencia general de referencias a procedimientos legales en los registros micénicos y con la llamativa ausencia en las inscripciones en lineal B de cualquier derivado de la palabra que designa la noción de 'justicia': äÝëè, que aparece de forma tan destacada en la literatura del griego histórico e incluso como elemento formador de antropónimos de época histórica. El artículo investiga también el alcance de estas conclusiones para la interpretación del topónimo *ti-mi-to a-ko, una capital de provincia importante en las tablillas de Pilo, que ha sido identificada arqueológicamente con el yacimiento de Nijoria. Utilizando los resultados de tres prospecciones separadas y de estudios arqueobotánicos en la región y los trabajos de José Melena y de José Fortes Fortes con términos botánicos de los períodos micénico e histórico, propongo que la interpretación 'agkos de los árboles terebinto' se adecuaría con la topografía de los alre-dedores de Nijoria así como con la intensa explotación de productos de los árboles terebinto ates-tiguada en el último período palacial de Creta y de Mesenia. Esteban de Bizancio menciona el topónimo Tremithous en Chipre, y hay más ejemplos de tales topónimos fitonímicos. of such phytonymic toponyms

Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Writing. The Parallel Lives of Michael Ventris and Linda Schele and the Decipherment of Mycenaean and Mayan Writing

Catalogue of an exhibition conducted in conjunction with the Eleventh International Mycenological Colloquium held at the University of Texas at Austin in 2000. This program features brief histories of the CIPEM Mycenological conferences and PASP, followed by comparative retrospectives on both Michael Ventris, who deciphered Linear B, and Linda Schele, who performed a similar feat for Mayan glyphs.Classic

Exploring and explaining the dynamics of osteopathic regulation, professionalism and compliance with standards in practice

This is a report on research conducted by an independent team of academics from the Universities of Warwick, Melbourne/ Oxford and Nottingham, and the British School of Osteopathy, funded by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) to answer the research questions: What regulatory activities best support osteopaths to be able to deliver care and to practice in accordance with the Osteopathic Practice Standards (OPS)? What factors inhibit osteopaths from practising in accordance with OPS? What factors encourage osteopaths to practice in accordance with OPS

Transcriptome analysis of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans directed to the global identification of promoters

Background: The filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans has been a tractable model organism for cell biology and genetics for over 60 years. It is among a large number of Aspergilli whose genomes have been sequenced since 2005, including medically and industrially important species. In order to advance our knowledge of its biology and increase its utility as a genetic model by improving gene annotation we sequenced the transcriptome of A. nidulans with a focus on 5' end analysis. Results: Strand-specific whole transcriptome sequencing showed that 80-95% of annotated genes appear to be expressed across the conditions tested. We estimate that the total gene number should be increased by approximately 1000, to 11,800. With respect to splicing 8.3% of genes had multiple alternative transcripts, but alternative splicing by exon-skipping was very rare. 75% of annotated genes showed some level of antisense transcription and for one gene, meaB, we demonstrated the antisense transcript has a regulatory role. Specific sequencing of the 5' ends of transcripts was used for genome wide mapping of transcription start sites, allowing us to interrogate over 7000 promoters and 5' untranslated regions. Conclusions: Our data has revealed the complexity of the A. nidulans transcriptome and contributed to improved genome annotation. The data can be viewed on the AspGD genome browser