By Dimosthenis Vasiloudis

Did classical Greece remember its Linear B heritage?

The Linear B writing system is an ancient script used by the Mycenaean Greeks from around 1450 to 1200 BC, a period which predates the later classical Greek civilization. The script was deciphered in the 20th century by British archaeologist Michael Ventris, and it was found to be an early form of the Greek language. But did the ancient Greeks of the classical period know about this earlier script? In this article, we will explore this question by delving into a fascinating story recounted by Plutarch about the tomb of Alcmene, mother of Hercules, and the discovery made by Agesilaus of Sparta (444–360 BC).

The Tomb of Alcmene and The Discovery of a ‘Bronze Tablet’

According to Greek mythology, Alcmene was the mortal mother of the demigod Hercules, who was fathered by Zeus. Her tomb was said to be located in the ancient city of Haliartus in Boeotia. Diodoros Siculus (5.57.3–5) and Plutarch (De Genio Socratis 577e–579b) give us some interesting stories about the very first writing system of the Greeks and tell us a story about Agesilaus, the king of Sparta, who visited the tomb while on a campaign against Thebes in 370 BC.

According to Plutarch, when Agesilaus of Sparta (444–360 BC) opened the tomb of Alcmene, mother of Hercules, located at Haliartos city in Boeotia, he and his men discovered a bronze tablet engraved with peculiar letters. Plutarch describes these symbols as "very ancient" and "barbaric" letters (“ἔχων γράμματα πολλὰ θαυμαστὰ ὡς παμπάλαια... αλλ' ίδιος τις ο τύπος και βαρβαρικός των χαρακτήρων”) that Agesilaus had to send to Egypt for decipherment. It is speculated that these symbols might have been an example of the Linear B writing system.

Agesilaus, who was an educated man and well-versed in the Greek language, found these symbols unfamiliar and indecipherable. The Egyptians' answer was not very convincing, so apparently they could not read the inscribed text.

• Could this tablet be inscribed with Linear B characters?

Linear B was used primarily for administrative purposes in the Mycenaean palatial centers, such as Knossos and Pylos. The symbols on the bronze tablet found in Alcmene's tomb might be an example of this ancient script. If so, it is likely that Agesilaus and the ancient Greeks of his time were unaware of their civilization's earlier writing system.

Echoes of Oblivion: The Catastrophic Flood Described by Diodorus Siculus and its Impact on Ancient Civilizations

There is also the testimony of Diodoros Siculus, who talks to us about the lost knowledge of writing during a big flood that took place in prehistoric Greece. Diodorus Siculus was a first-century BC Greek historian, known for his extensive work, "Bibliotheca Historica," a universal history from mythological times to 60 BC. In his narratives, he recounted a significant flood event that allegedly wiped out almost all written documents and records, leading to an immense loss of historical knowledge and collective memory.

In his accounts, Diodorus spoke of a catastrophic flood, a deluge of epic proportions that wreaked havoc on ancient civilizations. This flood was said to be so devastating that it destroyed nearly all written monuments and records of the time. The devastation wrought by this flood not only resulted in material loss, but also led to a significant loss of cultural and historical memory. Entire civilizations were reduced to ruins, and their histories were lost to the abyss of time.

Diodorus Siculus also mentioned that the Athenians, despite being the founders of the city of Saïs in Egypt, were ignorant of their own history due to the effects of this flood. Saïs was an ancient Egyptian city located in the western Nile Delta. It is known to have had strong connections with ancient Greek civilization. The Athenians, being influential in Saïs's establishment, should ideally have had an extensive record of their interactions and achievements. However, the cataclysmic flood erased this part of their history, leaving them, like other civilizations affected by the disaster, oblivious to their historical achievements.

The flood that Diodorus Siculus spoke of had such a profound impact on the ancient world that it upended civilizations, obliterating their histories, and leading to an era of historical and cultural amnesia. This account is a poignant reminder of the fragility of human history and the consequences of natural disasters on our collective memory.

These accounts, however, must be read critically. While Diodorus Siculus' narrative provides a compelling view of an ancient catastrophe, it's important to remember that his writings are based on various sources and hearsay. His reports are yet to be validated by tangible archaeological evidence. Nevertheless, his accounts provide a fascinating glimpse into the understanding of ancient civilizations and their perception of catastrophic events.

Excerpt from the work of Diodoros Siculus about the Heliades Tenages and Actis:

[5.57.2] The most highly endowed of them by nature was Tenages, who was slain by his brothers because of their envy of him; but when their treacherous act became known, all who had had a hand in the murder took flight. Of their number Macar came to Lesbos, and Candalus to Cos; and Actis, sailing off to Egypt, founded there the city men call Heliopolis, naming it after his father; and it was from him that the Egyptians learned the laws of astrology.

[5.57.3] But when at a later time there came a flood among the Greeks and the majority of mankind perished by reason of the abundance of rain, it came to pass that all written monuments were also destroyed in the same manner as mankind;

[5.57.4] and this is the reason why the Egyptians, seizing the favourable occasion, appropriated themselves the knowledge of astrology, and why, since the Greeks, because of their ignorance, no longer laid any claim to writing, the belief prevailed that the Egyptians were the first men to effect the discover of the stars.

[5.57.5] Likewise the Athenians, although they were the founders of the city in Egypt men call Saïs, suffered from the same ignorance because of the flood. And it was because of reasons such as these that many generations later men supposed that Cadmus, the son of Agenor, had been the first to bring the letters from Phoenicia to Greece; and after the time of Cadmus onwards the Greeks were believed to have kept making new discoveries in the science of writing, since a sort of general ignorance of the facts possessed by the Greeks.