We know the Minoans continued to use their traditional names under Mycenaean rule. The hundreds of names from Mycenaean Crete that can’t be interpreted via Greek are proof of that. But it’s nice when history hands you solid evidence. We get our evidence from a small collection of likely personal names in Linear A that reappear in Linear B.
About two dozen words in Linear A reappear on Linear B tablets as personal names, updated with Greek name endings. For example, Linear A KA-SA-RU becomes a shepherd named ka-sa-ro (Kasaros) in a Linear B record from Knossos; Linear A KI-KE-RU, PA-JA-RE, TE-JA-RE and A-RA-NA-RE become Linear B workers ki-ke-ro, pa-ja-ro, te-ja-ro, and a-ra-na-ro. Other names appear with spelling changes that hint at the difference between Greek and Minoan pronunciation: JA-MI-DA-RE to ja-ma-ta-ro, QE-RA2-U to qa-ra2-wo. While these similarities aren’t guarantees that the Linear A word is a personal name, there are usually other clues, discussed elsewhere on this site, that the word is, in fact, a name.
These are the most solidly attested parallel names:
Pronunciation notes are below.
| Linear A Word | Linear B Name |
|---|---|
| A-RA-NA-RE | a-ra-na-ro |
| DI-DE-RU | di-de-ro |
| JA-MI-DA-RE | ja-ma-ta-ro |
| KA-SA-RU | ka-sa-ro |
| KI-DA-RO | ki-da-ro, ki-do-ro |
| KU-KU-DA-RA | ku-ka-da-ro |
| KU-PA3-NA-TU | ka-pa3-na-to |
| KU-PA3-NU | ka-pa3-no |
| KU-RU-KU | ku-ru-ka |
| PA-JA-RE | pa-ja-ro |
| QA-QA-RU | qa-qa-ro |
| QE-RA2-U, QA-RA2-WA | qa-ra2-wo |
| SI-DA-RE | si-ta-ro |
| SI-KI-TE | si-ki-to |
| TA-NA-TI | ta-na-to |
| TE-JA-RE | te-ja-ro |
| U-SU | u-su |
- J is pronounced Y.
- PA3/pa3 is commonly pronounced “pha”, like “pa” with a slight breath of air after the P. (This is the normal way English speakers pronounce P, but Greek had a version of P without a slight breath afterward.) However, it may have represented “fa” or “ba,” sounds that Mycenaean Greek didn’t have but Minoan might have had.
- Q is pronounced “kw.”
- RA2/ra2 is pronounced “rya.”
Not all of the Linear B names on this list can be assigned a gender. However, in the cases where the text indicates a gender, the names are male. This is probably a reflection of how male names vastly outnumber female names in Linear B texts.
Updated April 8, 2025