ミノア人は日本語を話した（その２）
3. Silver Pin (KN Zf 31) (GORILA IV: 154-155, 162) (Discovered in the cemetery Mavro Spelio near Knossos. Heraklion Museum No. 540)
This is a slender, silver pin about 15 cm in length, shaped like a staff, with a U-shaped handle. It can be found online by searching for “silver pin from Mavro Spelio”. The photo in GORILA shows the upper and lower parts separately. Here, the photo is positioned so that the handle is curved at the lower left, with the long end extending to the right.
I. From Top to Bottom
1. Simple Reading
This is generally based on the transcription by J. Younger. Short dots [・] are construed as word separators and filled in with I, YA, SI, or NO, as appropriate.
(1) Upper Part
(a) Irregular Symbols
〇 3rd from the left, symbol resembling a rainbow: NA-RA.
〇 5th from the left, symbol akin to a clothes hanger: TU.
〇 10th from the left, a circle covered by a cross: KA.
〇 9th from the right, A (AB08) with a dot in the upper center: A/NA.
〇 4th from the right: DE.
〇 3rd from the right: SE(AB09) with 5 fingers, to be read as GOSE.
〇 2nd from the right, symbol resembling the kanji 南 (south): Combination of RA and NA, to be read as RANA.
〇 Symbol on right end: I.
(b) Decipherment
SI-[undecipherable]-SI-ZA-NE-NARA-[・]-DA-TU-MI-NE-[・]-QA-MI-KE-NA-RA-[・]-A/NA-WA-PI-[・]-TE-SU-DE-GOSE-NARA-I-[・]
SI-ZA-NEN-NARA-[I]-DA-TU-MI-NE-[NO]-QA-MI-KE-NA-RA-[I]-A/NA-WA-PI-[NO]-TE-SU-DE-GOSE-NARA-I-[I]
……し、残念ですが、イダ山の立つ峰の、神の家/髪の毛に習って、あな、お詫びする、アワビ（祝い/銀髪）のテス（鉄）でございます。「なら良い」
...regrettably, but as this peak on Mount Ida, with snowy hair, happens to be the abode of the Deity, oh, I must apologize for coming here despite my silvery hair. I have just celebrated my age with the customary abalone, and I go by the name of TESU (iron). “That is fine, then.”
(c) Summary
The lines convey the idea that the mountain peak is covered with snow, in the color of silvery hair, and this matches the silver color of the pin. In Japanese, QAMI can mean either “hair,” or "Deity." In classical Greek, kome (κομη), with a similar sound, means hair.
Mount Ida, the highest peak on Crete, is known for the legendary Idaean Cave, where Zeus was hidden after he was born, and the guard may have been on duty at the entrance.
Photos of this cave are found online, and the entrance seems to resemble an abalone shell. Thus, AWAPI points to the Japanese word for abalone (awabi), customarily eaten during festivities, as well as to the Idaean Cave, and doubles as the word for apology, OWABI.
(2) Lower Part
(a) Irregular Symbols
〇 5th symbol from the left (6 dots/short vertical bars with horizontal bar above, in the image of bowling pins): each dot/ bar must correspond to “10” in Cretan hieroglyphs, and the symbol must stand for "60 years."
〇 3rd symbol from the right: RA, in a wavy form.
(b) Decipherment
-A-DA-RA-[・]-TI-60-TE-QA-TI-[・]-TA-SA-ZA-[・]-TA-TE-I-NARA-ZO-RE-[・]
-A-DA-RA-[I]-TI-60-TE-QA-TI-[YA/SI]-TA-SA-ZAN-TA-TE-I-NARA-ZO-REN
素晴らしい、６０歳 なら勝ちだ/で徒歩のお参りとは。通しましょう。
立って下さい！ それなら、道を空けましょう。
That’s wonderful, 60 years old is a winner/ and yet a pilgrim on foot. I will let you pass. Now stand up! Thus, I will make way.
(c) Summary
The pin’s shape is in the shape of a staff or walking stick. The scene involves an elderly person visiting the sacred Mount Ida in Crete, who is stopped by a guard, probably at the entrance of Idaean Cave. He allows the old man to proceed, learning that he is 60 years old and on pilgrimage. The guard could be the mountain deity in disguise. Given the deciphered lines, the silver pin may be a hair accessory.
2. More Precise Reading
In the simple reading above, the lines read from top to bottom have resulted in a rather perplexing interpretation, and a more precise analysis of the irregular symbols may be required to clarify the text, as follows:
(1) Upper Part
(a) Irregular Symbols
〇 3rd from the left, shaped like a rainbow (NIJI): NIJI-YA-PA.
〇 5th symbol from left, like a clothes hanger: KU-(NI/RA)-(I/YA/SI/NO).
〇 10th from left, circle covered by a cross: KA-KUSI, to mean, KA, hidden away.
〇 Right end, SE(AB09) with 4 feathers, like I (AB28) and also, a tear: YO/SI-SE/I-NA.
〇 2nd from right, like the kanji 南 (south): a combination of NA, KU, ZO, to be read as NAKUZO.
〇 3rd from right: Upper part (comb with 5 teeth) is TE-KU, and the lower part is added, as I/YA/SI/NO.
〇 4h from the right: DE and MA are combined, and the 3 stripes or lines (SEN) inside the triangle are counted, to result in, DE/MA-SA/MI-SEN.
〇 6th from right, TE (AB04), but with 4 branches on each side: (YO/SI)-TE.
〇 9th from the right, A (AB08), with added dot: A-(I/YA/SI/NO) or NA.
(b) Decipherment
ZA-NE-(NIJI-YA-PA)-[・]-DA-[KU-(NI/RA)-(I/YA/SI/NO)]-MI-NE-[・]-QA-MI-KAKUSI-NA-RA-[・]-AI-WA-PI-[・]-SITE-SU-(DE/MA-SA/MI-SEN)-(KUTE-I/YA/SI/NO)-NAKUZO-(YO/SI-SE/I-NA)-[・]
ZA-NE-(NIJI-YA-PA)-[I]-DA-[KU-NI-NO]-MI-NE-[YA]-QA-MI-KAKUSI-NA-RA--AI-WA-PI-SITE-SU-(MI-MA-SEN-DE)-KUITE-NAKUZO-(YO-SE-NA)
……残念。虹やわ！ イダ国の峰や。神隠しがあるなら、相詫びして、すみませんで。「悔いて泣くぞ、よしな」。
...That’s too bad. Look at the rainbow! This is the peak of Ida country, but if QA-MI-KAKUSI (disappearance, by divine intervention) does happen here, I must apologize, I am sorry. "You will regret and cry for making the attempt, so frankly, you should not try it."
(2) Lower Part
(a) Irregular Symbols
〇 3rd from right: The combined symbol (NAKUZO) from the upper part has been emptied of its center, leaving 2 wavy lines on right and left, and this is read as NAKA-NAI-NI/RA, meaning, 2 lines, with the content gone.
〇 Right end, read above as RE : Recognizing the symbol TI at the top, and also adding on the vertical support at the bottom, as I/YA/SI/NO, the symbol is read as TI-RE-(I/YA/SI/NO).
(b) Decipherment
[・]-A-DA-RA-[・]-TI-60-SITE-QA-TI-[・]-TA-SA-ZA-[・]-TA-(TE-YO/SI)-(YO/SI-SE/I-NA)-(NAKA-NAI-NI)-ZO-[TI-RE-(I/YA/SI/NO)]-[・]
A-DA-RA-TI-60-SITE-QA-TI-[YA]-TA-SA-ZA-TA-TEYO-YOINA-NAKANAI-NI-ZO-TIREYA
「あんたら、素晴らしい！６０歳で、勝ち/徒歩や。通しましょう。立てよ、良いな。泣かない様に、散れ/知れや」。
That is wonderful! You are 60 year of age, that's victory/and still walking. I will let you pass. Stand, OK? But do not to let yourself end in tears. Now go!
(3) Summary
This reading, with more attention to detail, results in the appearance of a rainbow and in the tale, the guard tries to stop the elderly climber from making further adventure but, eventually, allows him to proceed at his own risk, after learning that the climber is commemorating a personal achievement that is, 60 years of age.
II. From Bottom to Top (Simple Reading)
(Upper Part)
[・]-I-RANA-ITE-MAWA-SU-TESI-[・]-PI-WA-NA-[・]-RA-NA-KA-MI-QA-[・]-NE-MI-TU-DA-[・]-NARA-NE-ZO
[SI]-I-RANA-ITE-MAWA-SU-TESI-PI-WA-NA-RA-NA-KA-MI-QA-[SI]-NE-MI-TU-DA-[SI]-NARA-NE-ZO
〇知らないで、まあ、捨てた 琵琶なら、中身貸して。音は３つ（弦は３本）だ。鳴らないぞ。
〇知らないで、まあ、捨てたビワなら、中身は菓子ね、蜜（果汁）だ。知らないぞ。
-Without knowing it was a biwa (lute), this was thrown away. Then, lend me the contents. It has 3 strings but can’t be played.
-Without knowing it was a biwa (loquat fruit), this was thrown away. The content is sweet, like nectar. Now, I am not too sure about this turn of events.
In ancient Greece, the loquat was known to be consumed. "Mitz" means nectar in Hebrew.
(Lower Part)
[・]-RE-ZO-RA-I-TEYO-TA-[・]- ZA-SA-TA-[・]-TI-QA-TEYO-60-TI-[・]-RA-DA-NA
[SI]-RE-ZO-RA-I-TEYO-TA-[YA]- ZA-SA-TA-[NO]-TI-QA-TEYO-60-TI-[NO・]-RAN-DA-NA
出まかせ言って酔っているうちに事情が変わり、６０歳の乱だな。
The situation changed while we were drunk and given to haphazard mutterings. Now, this is a rebellion by 60-year-olds.
Thus, the silver pin is likely to be a plectrum for playing the biwa, a decorative item and probably a gift for a 60th birthday.
4. Golden Ring from Mavro Spelio
This is a work of art in gold, with an inscription in spiral fashion, from the outer rim toward the center. Many of the symbols are ambiguous and John Younger has underlined 4 of them; they must be combined symbols.
It can be read in both clockwise and counter directions, to make sense as a continuing story that discloses the troubled thoughts of a sexagenarian.
(1) Simple Reading
（Clockwise, from outer rim）
A-RE-NE-SI-60-DA-PI-KE-PA-JA-TA-RA-I-TE-
晴れねえ氏 60歳だ。聞けば、やたら（に）いて
Mr. Inclement Weather, 60 years of age. From hearsay, they are all over the place.
MURI-ZO- SINE-JA- SOKU
無理だ。死んでしまえ、即刻。
What a nuisance, go to h---, ASAP.
The symbol interpreted as 60, the same as in the silver pin above, must stand for 60 years of age, and the ring must have been created in commemoration.
（Counter-clockwise, from center）
The symbol read as DA above, is construed to be a sign of repetition.
KU -JA- SI -I- MU/RI/-TE-I- RA-TA-JA-PA-KE-PI-PI-
悔しい！ 無理して届いた化けヒヒ
How regrettable! I overplayed my hand to reach this age.
60-SI-NE-RE-A
60氏、眠れや。/ 60歳。死ねれん。
Now a ghost of a baboon at 60, go off to sleep/ I can’t seem to leave the scene.
(2) More Precise Reading
In this version, the many ambiguous symbols are construed as combined symbols created by adding on, line segments.
（Clockwise, from outer rim）
ASI-RE-NEMU-SI-60-NOSI-MATIDA-KE-DAPA-JA-TA-RA（下線）-I-TENI-
走れないし、眠い60歳の死に待ちだけだわ。やたら痛いに
I can’t run any more, a sleepy sexagenarian, just waiting to die off.
MU/RI（下線）NEKU（下線）-SIA-JA- KUSOKU（下線）
むり なく しは や く そく
無理なく しは/ 死は、約束だ。
With pain everywhere, I should never strain myself/ death must be around the corner.
（Counter-clockwise, from center）
The symbol read as DA at the outset is read as DA-A, given the long limb, extending leftwards from the top.
SO/KU-JA-SI/NE-NE/KU-MU/RI-NI/TE-I-RA-TA-JA-DAPA-KEZO-PIMA- DA-A-60-SI-NEMU-RE-SI/NE
すぐには死ねなく、無理して届いたが、嫌だ。たわけ！ 暇だぁ。
There is no immediate coup de grace, however. I overplayed my hand to reach this age, and now I hate it. That’s stupid! What idleness anyway!
60歳なら眠れ、死ね。
At 60 years of age, go to sleep, pass away.
5.Bronze Bowl (KO Zf2) (Chania Museum, No. 1385, Mitsotakis Collection) (GORILA IV: 158–159).
You can find images by searching “Linear A bronze bowl Chania Museum.”
This is a shallow vessel with characters engraved along the upper rim.
(1) Left to right (simple interpretation)
The 5th symbol from the left is uncertain, but if it is construed as a mirror (KAGAMI) and read as KA, the result is:
A RA KO KU KA WA SA TO MA RO AU TA DE PO NI ZA
Arakoku kawa sato maro aota de poniza
アラシヤ国 川里 マロ 青田（工房）の紅座
Alasiya Country, River Hamlet, Maro (village). From the Copper Workshop, “ Crimson Seat.”
“AU-TA” is interpreted as copper mine; the symbol DE (*45) evokes the image of a large building, and is taken as “workshop.”; the symbol PO (*11) depicts “bosom,” and is interpreted as “crimson.”
(2) Left to right (precise interpretation)
(a) Because many of the signs are irregular, we assign numbers ①–⑯ from left to right and adjust their phonetic values as follows. (* stands for Linear A/B common signs)
① (*08): A
② (*60): RA
③ (*70): KO
④ (*81): KU
⑤ This is a round hand-mirror shape with “antennae” on top. Interpreted as MA (*80) and QA (*16) combined: MAQA. If seen as a combination of a circle (MARU) and SA (*31): MARUSA.
⑥ A symbol based on WA (*54), but with “legs” increased from the usual 3 to 5: WA-2 (I/YA/SI/NO) or WA-(NI/TE/GO).
⑦ (*31): SA
⑧ (*05): TO
⑨ A chestnut, with eyes and ears: MA/KURI (“kuri”: chestnut).
⑩ Cross shape (*02): RO
⑪ Symbol (*85), with a horizontal bar to the right: AU-(I/YA/SI/NO)
⑫ Symbol (*59) with a short diagonal stroke at bottom: TA-(I/YA/SI/NO)
⑬ (*45): DE
⑭ (*11): PO
⑮ (*30): NI
⑯ (*17): ZA
(b) Thus, the reading becomes:
A RA KO KU MAQA/MARUSA WA-SINO/NI SA TO MA/KURI RO AU-(I/YA/SI/NO) TA-(I/YA/SI/NO) DE PO NI ZA
アラシヤ国。優るワシ/ワニ/ 倭人の里。マロの青屋台で、紅座。
Alasiya Country, Superior Eagle / Crocodile / Wajin (Yamato people) Village. Maro’s Blue Stall, the Crimson Seat.
(c) If KO-KU is interpreted as “country,” then “A-RA KO-KU” must point to Cyprus.in the Bronze Age, known as ALASIYA. It was an important producer of copper, known for its exports to nearby regions. Thus the inscription is likely to be an advertisement from the creators.
Near southern Cyprus (36 km west of Larnaca) flows the Maroni River, and along the coastal Maroni Valley, there was a settlement from the Late Bronze Age, where copper appears to have been smelted. Thus, Maro may point to the Maroni River, and the composite sign ⑥ may represent the alluvial fan at the river mouth.
“Maroni,” is akin to “chestnut” in French and other languages, and symbol ⑨ may depict a chestnut in cartoon style.
Source: Alison South-Todd, Late Bronze Age Settlement Patterns in Southern Cyprus: the First Kingdoms?
Cahiers du Centre d’Etudes Chypriotes, 2002, 32, pp. 59–72.
(d) Signs ①–③ have underdots; if treated as repetition marks, they become A-A-RA-RA KO-KO-KU, yielding:
“A-ara-ra, koko tte, superior Wajin no sato, Maro no ao-yatai de, beniza?”
(“Oh dear, is this the Crimson Seat, Maro’s Blue Stall, at the superior Wajin village ?”)
(3) Right to left
Adjusting phonetic values of the compound signs gives:
ZA NI PO DE TA-(I/YA/SI/NO) AU-(I/YA/SI/NO) RO MA/KURI TO SA WA-(NI/TE/GO) MAQA/MARUSA KU KOKO RARA AA
sanpo deta ya ao-i/no ro ma/kuri to sa wa-(ni/te/go) marusa koko ranarana
散歩に出たや、青い、のろまと。沢に泊まるさ、ここらならな。
I took a walk, with a slow, young fellow. We’ll spend the night along the stream; in this area, that should be fine.
6. Gold Needle from Aghios Nikolaus Museum (CR Zf1. GORILA IV. 146-147, 162)
This gold needle measures about 15cm in length and, on one side of the handle, there are Linear A inscriptions and ornate decorations cover the other.
(1) Simple Rendition
(a) From Left to Right
The ambiguous symbol at the end will be taken as a combined symbol of DE and MA.
A-MA-WA-SI-[・]-KA-NI-JA-MI-[・]-I-JA-[・]-QA-KI-SE-NU-TI-[・]-A-TA-DE/MA
A-MA-WA-SI-[NO]-KA-NI-JA-MI-[SI]-I-JA-[SI]-QA-KI-SE-NU-TI-[JA]-A-TA-DE / A-TA-MA
海ワシ/アマワ氏はカニを病的に好み、卑しい。掻き出していない場所は、後でと/自分の頭。
Mr. AMAWA (sea eagle) is a crab maniac and greedy. Well, for the parts not yet picked out, in due course / that’s his head.
At first glance, this strange needle may be intriguing, but KA-NI at the beginning of the 2nd word is “crab” in Japanese, and this suggests it was used for picking out crab meat from the shell. In that case, Mr. Amawa was a rich man, as to use this refined, decorative gold pin for such a mundane purpose.
A-MA -WA-SI also means sea eagle in Japanese, and this lends a double meaning to the inscription, that insinuates at Mr. Amawa’s sharp eye for collecting taxes or rent from every household without fail.
Thus, QA-KI-SE-NU-TI may be interpreted as “places with no records (of payment)” and this leads to the idea that the needle may have been a pen for inscribing Linear A on clay tablets.
If the last word is read as A-TA-MA, meaning head, the line turns into a slander, with the suggestion that the needle should be used to clean the ears.
(b)From Right to Left
MA/DE-TA-A-[・]-TI-NU-SE-KI-QA-[・]-JA-I-[・]-MI-JA-NI-KA-[・]-SI-WA-MA-A
MA-TA-A-[NO]-TI-NU-SE-KI-QA-[I]-JA-I-[NO]-MI-JA-NI-KA-[I]-SI-WA-MA-(N)A
またあの親戚かい。ヤイ、「飲み屋」にかい？ しまわないと。
Yet again, that relative. Hey, you think this is a tavern! Better put it away now.
(2) QA-QA
Upon scrutiny, there is a dot beneath QA, a sign of repetition.
(a)From Left to Right
A-MA-WA-SI-[・]-KA-NI-JA-MI-[・]-I-JA-[・]-QA-QA-KI-SE-NU-TI-[・]-A-TA-DE
A-MA-WA-SI-[NO]-KA-NI-JA-MI-[SI]-I-JA-[JA]-QA-QA-KI-SE-NU-TI-[JA]-A-TA-DE
忌まわしい、カニにはまり、いやだ。「母の来ないうちに、後で」。
Deplorable, what with crab mania, I hate this situation. “Mother is coming, so later on.”
(b)From Right to Left
MA/DE-TA-A-[・]-TI-NU-SE-KI-QA-QA-[・]-JA-I-[・]-MI-JA-NI-KA-[・]-SI-WA-MA-A
MA-TA-A-[NO]-TI-NU-SE-KI-QA-QA-[NO]-JA-I-[NO]-MI-JA-NI-KA-[I]-SI-WA-MA-(N)A
またあの義理の母の「ヤイの！」が、「飲み屋」に。しまわないと。
Yet again, that noisy mother-in-law, on a visit to this, tavern! Better put it away now.
The first version may be the original intention, because of the way it hints at the use of the needle. The dot may have been placed beneath QA simply for obfuscation.
(3)In-depth Rendition
Many of the inscribed symbols diverge from the standard model common to Linear A/B, for example, by having vertical lines split into two parts, and their sound values are adjusted as follows:
A⇒ ANO/ASI/ SINO/SINIJA; MA⇒ MAMA; WA⇒ WA/WANO; SI⇒ JASI;
KA⇒ KA/KANI; I⇒ SEI/REI; JA⇒ JA/BA.
(a)From Left to Right
ANO-MAMA-WA-SINO-[・]-KA-NI-JA-MI-[NO]-SEI-JABA-[・]-QAQA-KI-SE-NU-TI-[・]-JASI-TA-MA/DE
あのままワシのカニや。カニ病みのせいで、ヤバ。母来せぬ地で、明日まで（お預けだ）。
That crab is still mine. This crab mania is a big problem. Hide it somewhere, Mother would not know of, until tomorrow.
(b)From Right to Left
DE-TA-ANO-[・]-TI-NU-SE-KI-QAQA-[YA]-BA-REI-[NO]-MI-JA-NI-KANI-[NO]-JASI-WANO-MAMA-SINIJA
出た、あの親戚、義理の母や、無礼の。「飲み屋」にカニの足。我が儘、死にや。
There she is, that rude mother-in-law! She is here for a drink, with crab legs. How egotistical! She had better disappear quickly.
7. Large Vase from Epano Zakros（ZA Zb 3）
This is a vase (pithos), approximately 170cm in height and estimated to hold up to 1000 liters. Around the circular rim, there is a decorative chord pattern and, just below, there is an inscription in Linear A, in 2 lines.
The first symbol (AB131a）can be interpreted as wine, in a similar vein to Linear B. In Japanese, DI-DI or TI-TI can mean either father or milk and, according to this translation, father drinks wine and milk is for the baby.
(Top Line)
The 4th symbol from the left is taken to be a combination and read as DINA; the symbol to its right combines ME and RU, to be read as MERU; the symbol on the far right, SE/I.
(From Left to Right)
（AB131a）32 DI-DINA-KA-SE-[・]- A-SA-MERU-NE-[・]- A-SE/I
（AB131a）32 DI-DINA-KA-SE-[SI]-A-SA-MERU-NE-[SI]- A-SE
ワイン換算32単位。父/乳 泣かせや 朝 覚めるね 幸せ。
32 units in wine.
Father/ Milk, a cry of relief in the morning, this wakes one up with a feeling of happiness.
(From Right to Left)
I/SE-A-[・]-NE-RUME-SA-A-[・]-SE-KA-NADI-DI-32-（AB131a）
I/HI-A-[SI]-NE-RUME-SA-A-[NO]-SE-KA-NADI-DI-32-（AB131a）
癒し/冷やし。温めさ。あの盛んな父/盛んに出る乳。ワイン換算32単位。
Relaxation/ cold, or lukewarm, rather.
That upbeat father / a rich outflow of milk. 32 units in wine.
(Second Line)
The 6th pictogram from the far right looks strange, and while many read it as PI, it is read here as YAMA, because MA seems to sit on top of the nock of an arrow, YA, in Japanese.
(From Left to Right)
A-TA-I-*301（TO）-DE-KA-[・]- A-RE-YAMA-RE-NA-[・]-TI-TI-KUME
HA-TA-I-*301（TO）-DE-KA-[I]- A-RE-YAMA-RE-NA-[JA]-TI-TI-KUME
はた、とても大きく、山のよう。あれ、病まれたので、乳を汲もう。
This is so big, like a mountain! / Alas, you have fallen ill, so I will draw milk for you.
(From Right to Left)
MEKU-TI-TI-[・]-NA-RE-YAMA-RE-A-[・]-KA-DE-(TO)-I-TA-NA
MEKU-TI-TI-[SI]-NA-RE-YAMA-RE-A-[I]-KAN-DE-(TO)-I-TA-NA
ときめく父に死なれ、病まれた。「逝かんで」と言ったのに。
My exuberant father has passed from illness, though I implored him not to go.
The author recalls days in the distant past when still a baby and the father gave milk in the morning; recently, the father fell ill and it was the author’s turn to give him milk, but now he has passed.
8．Cup from Knossos（KN Zc7）(GORILA IV : 122-125)
This is a short conical cup, with inscriptions painted in ink along 2 concentric circles in the interior. The signs are to be read while looking into the cup. It says WI-PI in large letters at the end of the line closer to the rim, probably a signature.
At the very bottom of the cup, there are holes punctured as with a needle. They seem to create a person’s face in profile, whose sex is uncertain. From the rim, in concentric circles, there are strong lines intentionally razed in.
Here, reference to the cup and the writing inside will be made on the assumption that the cup is viewed from such an angle, so that the written lines appear in the shape of a U.
I. Simple Interpretation
（1）Clockwise
（a）Bottom Row
[・]-RA-ZAMA-NA-[・]-RE-RA-DU-[・]-TI-RI-NU-KA-NA
[・]-RA-ZAMA-NA-[SI]-RE-RA-DU-[NI]-TI-RI-NU-KA-NA
成果なし 知られずに散ってゆく 悲しさ
How sad, the flower scatters away, without any fruit to be known for
RA-ZA-(N)A has been translated as fruit, as it sounds close to raisin and REZA means fulfilment in Persian. GORILA reads ZA as ZU, and RI as ZA.
（b）Outer Row
[・]-NE-NA-A-RA-SA-JA
[SI]-NE-NA-A-RA-SA-JA
根を荒らされてしまった故に。
As the roots have been forcibly laid waste.
Here, the cup is construed as a saffron flower with holes at the bottom where the pistil and stamen have been picked out; this flower can no longer bear fruit or provide seed.
(2) Reverse Direction
（a）Bottom Row
NA-KA-NU-RI-TI-[NI]-DU-RA-RE-[・]-NA-MAZA-RA-[・]
NA-KA-NU-RI-TI-[NI]-DU-RA-RE-[NO]-NA-MAZA-RA-[SI]
中を塗らないかと 誘われたので 打ち明けよう
Beckoned to paint inside this cup, I have decided to confess.
（b）Outer Row
JA-SA-RA-A-NA-NE-[・] WI-PI-[・]
JA-SA-RA-A-NA-NE-[NO] WI-PI-[SI]
やせた姉御の （署名）ウィピ氏
The thin sister, (Signed) WIPI.
(3) Interpretation
Reading in clockwise direction, the inscription conveys the lament of a saffron flower but read in reverse, this turns into the anguish of a person who cannot bear children for unnatural causes.
Given this message, the face at the bottom of the cup may indeed show a eunuch; the strong lines roughly spiraling the interior of the cup may convey graphic details of the tragedy. Eunuchs have been known from ancient Assyria and Rome.
II. Precise Interpretation
(1) Sound Values of Irregular Symbols (common to both rows)
•The short vertical bar [・] that resembles a punctuation mark is read as I/YA/SI/NO, as appropriate.
•If there is a dot at the upper center of A (AB08), the dot is read as I/YA/SI/NO. Otherwise, the symbol is read as NA.
(2) Bottom Row
(a) Sound Values
•The 2nd symbol from the right, ZA, has 2 horns on the right side and a horn on the left; it is read as ZAMA- (I/YA/SI/NO). Alternatively, ZA-I-(NI/RA).
•The [・] to the left of DU (AB51), toward the center, forms 2 vertical bars combined with the left side of the bull's head, and this is read as NI.
•The 4th symbol from the left must be RI (AB53), with lower half erased, and is read as KIE-RI (RI, disappearing).
•The 5th symbol from the left has "horns" protruding from both sides of TI (AB37), and the sound MA is added accordingly.
•The 2nd symbol from the left, KA, has a vertical line protruding from the upper part, and this protrusion is read as I/YA/SI/NO.
(b) Clockwise
[・]-RA-ZAMAYA-A-(I/YA/SI/NO)-[・]-RE-RA-DU-[・]-TI-KIERI-NU-KA-(I/YA/SI/NO)-NA
RA-ZAMAYA-A-I-[SI]-RE-RA-DU-[NI]-MATI-KIERI-NU-KAI-NA
成果や、愛を知られずに、混じり、消えぬかいな
Without any fruit or love to be known for, here, I will mix in, but then disappear.
(c) Counterclockwise
NA-KA-(I/YA/SI/NO)-NU-KIERI-TIMA-[NI]-DU-RA-RE-[・]-NA-ZA-I-(NI/RA)-RA-[・]
NA-KA-NO-NU-KIERI-TIMA-[NI]-DU-RA-RE-[SI/YA]-NA-ZA-I-(NI/RA)-RA-[YA]
中の塗り、消えし間に釣られた、いやな罪人が、俺や （あるいは）中の（もの）抜き切りし、島に連れられた罪人が、俺や
While the inner paint dries, I confess I am that hateful criminal, caught and taken to this island, after (the insides were) removed and severed.
(3) Outer Row
(a) Sound Values
•The symbol on the far left must be the lower left half of JA (AB57) and read as JA-NAKA/HANBUN (JA, in half).
•The 2nd symbol from the left is a split form of SA (AB31), and read as SA-WAKE (SA, separated). Alternatively, SA-RI (SA, departed).
•The 3rd symbol from the left is RA (AB60), with the lower half erased, and read as KIE-RA (RA, disappearing).
•The 4th symbol from the left is read either as A-(I/YA/SI/NO) or SI.
•While separated from the main line, the symbol at the end is SIYA.
(b) Clockwise
[・]-NE-NA-[A-(I/YA/SI/NO)]-KIERA-(SAWAKE/SARI)-NAKAJA [SI]-NE-NA-[A-(I/YA/SI/NO)]-KIERA-(SAWAKE/SARI)-NAKAJA
死ねないなら、消え去り 中や。
As I can't die, I am in the process of disappearing.
(c) Counterclockwise
（JA-NAKA/HANBUN）-(SAWAKE/SARI)-KIERA-SI-NA-NE-[・] （Final）WI-PI-SIYA
(JA-NAKA/HANBUN)-(SAWAKE/SARI)-KIERA-SI-NA-NE-[NO] （Final）WI-PI-SIYA
夜中、去り消えらん。「死な/品ねえ」の （署名）ウィピ氏や
I will disappear at night. (signature) WIPI, the undying, or the vulgar one.
(4) Summary
All put together, the precise interpretation reads as follows:
“While the inner paint dries, I confess I am that hateful criminal, caught and taken to this island, after (the insides were) removed and severed. Without any fruit or love to be known for, here, I will mix in, but then disappear. As I can't die, I am going to disappear, and that will happen at night. (signed) WIPI, the undying, or the vulgar one. “
This aligns with the simple interpretation, and further reveals that the reason for becoming a “eunuch” was punishment.
9. Cup from Knossos（KN Zc 6）
Sir Arthur Evans’ Scripta Minoa (1909) has an illustration on page 29. On the interior, there are lines of Linear A written in ink along 2 concentric circles and in the center are symbols that read RA-TI-SE, arranged as a cartoon; it shows the closed eye and eyebrows of a man about to take a sip from a cup with one eye closed, in a grimace. The lines can be read in both clockwise and counter directions and make sense in Japanese either way.
Many of the symbols are ambiguous. A（AB08）with a dot in the top center, has been read as NA. On the outside ring read clockwise, the first symbol, a cross between SA（*31）and RI（*53）is read as SA-RI, and the second symbol, a cross between KE（AB44）and RU（AB26), as KERU.
On the inside ring, there are 3 consecutive symbols separated from the rest by a line or dot, read clockwise as NU-JA-I. These have been treated as part of the center.
（１）Clockwise
Outside Ring ：The first 2 ambiguous symbols must be a combination.
SARI-KERU-(TO?)-QI-NA-KU-PA-NA-KU-NE
別れの時には 泣くに 泣くね。
Before our separation, I cry and shed tears uncontrollably.
Inside Ring ：
KU-PA-TI-KUKI-DA-[・]-DI-NA-[・]
KU-PA-TI-KUKI-DA-[SI]-DI-NA-[I]
詳しく聞いたが、信じられない。
You told me why in detail, but I cannot believe it.
Center：RATI-SE-NU-JA-I-[・]
RATI-SE-NU-JA-I-[NO]
理解できないと言いながら。
Muttering, I can’t understand.
（２）Counter-clockwise
Outside Ring：
NE-KU-NA-PA-KU-NA-QI-(TO?)-RUKE-RISA
泣くな、 パコ/と言葉はく 泣いて忘れるからさ。
Don’t cry, sip / I utter, but I’m going to cry into oblivion.
Inside Ring：
NA-DI-[・]-DA-KIKU-TI-PA-KU-[・]
NA-DI-[I]-DA-KIKU-TI-PA-KU-[SI]
汝を抱き、 口パクし。
So, I embrace you and just gasp, for want of words.
Center：I-JA-NU-TI-RA-SE
嫌な 知らせだ。
Bad news indeed.
Given the caricature at the bottom of the cup, the lines may depict a man who has just been jilted or received news of a sudden departure and creating a scene in front of his lover/companion, taking sip after sip of alcohol. In the reversed reading of the inside ring, a more direct translation from Japanese of “just gasp” is “with mouth open,” and this perfectly describes the man’s face at the bottom.
（３）More Precise Translation（Outside Ring）
The symbols in the sequence NA-KU-NE are complicated anomalies that do not fit the standard format; taken to be combined symbols, NA is reread as SI-SAN-NA, KU as KU-YA and NE as SINE.
(a) Clockwise
SARI-KERU-(TO?)-QI-NA-KU-PA-SISANNA -KUYA-SINE
去る時に 泣くのは、資産亡くし、悔しいね。
In saying goodbye, we cry because of our lost fortune, isn’t it a shame?
（b）Reverse Direction
SINE-KUYA- SISANNA -PA-KU-NA-QI-(TO?)-KERU-SA
死ね、悔しい、悲惨な/ 資産が！ パコ。泣き溶けてしまう。
Oh my god, an impossibility! This is pathetic, with our resources gone, I utter. I’m going to cry myself into oblivion.
With this interpretation, the reason behind the emotional scene is revealed to be a lost fortune, probably from shipwreck.
