Among the treasures housed in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum is an elegant gold ring discovered in the Mavrospelio Cemetery near Knossos. Dating back to 1700–1600 BC, this ring served as a funerary offering for a high-status individual. What sets it apart is the spiral inscription in Linear A – a script that remains largely undeciphered.
Though Linear A remains undeciphered, scholars agree on the approximate phonetic values of most individual signs, yet the meaning of the inscription on the Mavrospelio ring remains unknown. Here is one of the readings:
My reading of the inscription
In my opinion, the inscription on the ring reads: “Arenesidije Pisipaja tari Seterimu Ajaku.” Through detailed etymological analysis, I have deciphered its meaning as: “Pisiphae, daughter of Arenes, gave (this ring) to her companion Aiakos.”
As you can see, my reading of this Cretan inscription preserves two distinctly Cretan names – Pisiphae and Aiakos – supporting the interpretation as a local, meaningful dedication.
Here’s a breakdown of each word:
• Arenesidije:“Arenes” could refer to the ancient city Arene in Elis mentioned by Homer, or but even more likely this is a matronymic or filiative term. The suffix “-idije” is akin to Indo-European filiative suffixes like the Greek “-idēs” or Latin “-idius,” indicating “descendant of” or “child of.” Thus, “Arenesidije” likely means “descendant (or daughter) of Arenes.”
• Pisipaja: The original form of the name later known as Pasiphae. This was actually the name of a Cretan queen.
From Greek pâsi (“to all”) and pháō (“to shine”), it means “she who shines for all.”
• tari: From “dari” – gifted, or perhaps a prepositional or dative marker equivalent to “to” or “for,” paralleling Greek tō(i) or Anatolian datives.
• Seterimu: Likely derived from hetairos (“companion” or “partner”). The suffix -imu can also suggest possession or relation, rendering “her companion.”
• Ajaku: A dative form of Aiakos, also a well recorderd Cretan name. Aiakos was the mythological judge and grandfather of Achilles.
Given that Pasiphae is named as the giver and Aiakos as her partner, the ring was likely a personal gift – perhaps a symbolic token of marriage within the Minoan ruling elite, marking a formal union between prominent figures in Crete’s early aristocracy.