Rebus compositions in Linear A?

Abstract

Abstract This paper deals with some Linear A logograms which might have been occasionally used not because of their meaning, but phonetically, on the basis of the sound of the words underlying the signs, to spell out different words, in rebus compositions with one or more syllabograms. This would be the case with the logogram for wine (AB 131a) on two clay tablets from Agia Triada (HT 14.1 and 123a.3), the logogram for human (A 100/102) on several clay documents from different sites (HT 72, KH Wc 2100, and PE Zb 7), and the logogram for olives (AB 122) on stone tables KO Za 1 and SY Za 2. The last two examples imply the reappraisal of the debate about the uncertain reading of one sign on KO Za 1 either as AB 27 or 122. In this paper it is shown how the latter is the only one supported by paleography.