Minoan Linear A Temple Supply Texts from Malia (1700 BCE)

(July 11, 2022), The Minoans were a trading culture. This is certainly demonstrated by the trading texts found at Malia on the north coast of Crete. Most of the Linear A texts presented here were found in the workshop area adjacent to Malia’s first large temple/palace complex. The workshop area consisted of two large buildings of some importance as well as workshops, courts and paths linking the various parts of the area together. The workshops produced seals, pottery, ceramic ware, stone vases, and bronze goods. The workshops themselves seem to have been located on the second floor of the buildings which left the ground floor for living space and/or public trading.

These updated translations are based upon the 3rd edition of the Alphabetic Akkadian Lexicon. Latest paper with full translation justification (but using the 2nd edition) is:

Archeological Text Source

(November 25, 2022)  The text reads:

1. For activating the fertility-fluids. For the shepherds for working with collapsing pastures 90
2. -7 life-threads. For working with nourishments 70 [of something], 
3. For the fire-stokers 70 snake-birds (bow-drills). For render-ovens working with astrological-owls
4. 9 strainers. For eagle-vulture-powers working with the threads for Yahu (Ya') 5

In Akkadian

1. Ṣi mu. Rēyû qâpu ta’û 90
2. -7. Qu Bu 70 [missing number]
3. Qamû 70 qaqû. Ṣāḫu ḫū’u
4. 9 pu. Ri q ya’u 5

Line 3 lists seventy “snake birds” for the people who build and maintain the ritual fires and fires for the fat rendering ovens. The word “snake birds” seems to be an epithet for the bow drills used to start the fires. The wooden drill would be the snake while the bow would be the winds of the bird. This epithet is the likely source of the phoenix fire bird mythology.

The render ovens would have been used to make various ointments. Rituals of the motion class of powers used ointments while rituals of the life powers used waters. The base of any ointment is lard and to make that the animal fat must be melted down and the poured through a strainer to remove the hard items (cracklings). This text specifically mentions render oven products for use with astrological owls. These owls are the mechanism by which the motion powers of the heavens are transferred to earth. As such they were often portents of change when they appeared.

 (November 26, 2022) The text reads:

1. Dust is opened by [?].
2. The Revealer (Yahu) is lacking manifester's (his) fertility-fluid-powers
3. The magic of the white-ones (heavenly bodies) are lacking the Life-Manifester
4. Misery is being created by the Revealer. 

In Akkadian

1. Ṭiṭu [ša or da] pu
2. Na la da mi
3. Tu paṣû la da
4. Wa mudu Na

This text is not an invoice but is instead a rant about a drought.

Front of Tablet (Malia Text 5.1)

(November 25, 2022) The text reads:

1. Thesu (a motion power) is making miserable the seers. 
2. Correspondences for Hu 15. For life-manifestations working with nourishments from Hu  
3. 24. For life-threaders (priests) working with the anarchy involving eliminations (of threads),
4. 10 patrol-items. Correspondences for nourishing-powers 2 Thu-Items.
5. Correspondences for activity-powers 5 detachment-items.
6. Magic activates the Revealer. For the life-manifestations working with nourishments
7. 22 detachment items. For Hu 17 tools

In Akkadian

1. ṭešu wa bara 
2. ši Ḫu 15 du bu Ḫu
3. 24 qa nūnu ku zu
4. 10 ūba ša bi 2 Ṭu
5. še ṣu 5 galû
6. Tu ṣi na ṣi du bu
7. 22 galû Ḫu 17 gu

Back of Tablet (Malia Text 5.2)

The text reads:

1. For the activators (magic crafters) working with this drunkenness.
2. 3. For the seers not Su 1 involvement-item.
3. For going without pain 3 [missing word]
4. For the energizers (magic crafters) working with starvation magic 60 fertility-fluid-power-items
5. For the stuffing (network) 3. For the lack of inspection 30
6. 5. For the lack of eruptions (of new threads) 17.

In Akkadian

1. ṣa maḫû a
2. 3 barû su ya 1 ku
3. lu yaya 3 [ ]
4. ga tu eku 60 mi
5. taḥû 3 lu waku 30
6. 5 Ḫuhu lu 17

(May 30, 2023) This text is a list of ritual supplies for motion power rituals involving the full moon god Su. Motion powers push the divine fertility fluids through the life network for triggering Yahu for manifesting life forms on earth.

The text reads:

In Akkadian (Minoan Text 6.1)

1. Zu  Su  Wa  Še 10
2. ḪīYa  5  Qi  5
3. Ṣi  Si  ZaQa  1
4. ŠuŠu  30  ZīKu  Du
5. 5 ŠaLu  3  Zi  1
6. Si  Ya  Na  Ḫu  Ya  50

English

1. For emitting of Su’s fate-curses of sameness 10,
2. for respect 5, for thread-powers (of the life network) 5.
3. For activity-powers for working with Su-powers 1
4. liquorice-root, 30 emotional-purifiers. For life-manifestations 
5. 5. For Salu (Selene) 3. For elimination-powers 1.
6. For Su-powers not affecting the Revealer by not affecting Hu 50.

Front Side (Minoan Text 7.1)

(November 25, 2022) The text reads:

1. For eagle-vultures involved with nourishing 1. 
2. 5 physical-purifiers. 2 anti-eliminators (of threads). 
3. Not 1 farmer works with Thesu (motion manifestation deity).
4. For not catching-wind (fate motion power) 1 eternal-form of Hu

 In Akkadian

1. ru ku bu lu
2. 5 ḥâpu 2 zu yi
3. ya 1 ludȗ ṭešu gu
4. šāḫu ya 1 dāru Ḫu

Back Side (Minoan Text 7.2)

The text reads:

1. For anti-energy-powers of the threaders (life-priests) 10 Hu-items.
2. For Thu's attacks 1 work-item (tool). Correspondence-items 3.
3. For Involving the eagle-vultures 2 anti-elimination-items due to
4. work-items (tools) not being eficient. Eagle-vulture-powers are lacking.
5. Anti-threaders (magic-crafters) are nesting the energy.

 In Akkadian

1. gi ya qa 10 Ḫu
2. Ṭu râsu 1 gu še 3
3. ki ru 2 zu ya ku
4. gu lemu ya ra lu
5. qa ya b'u gu

(November 25, 2022) The text reads:

1. Miserable is the house (astrological powers). Correspondences for Su-powered energy for working with life-threads,
2. 16. For the energizers (magic-crafters) working with threaded fertility-fluids 40. For powers-of-Hu 9.
3. On account of the threads 16. For the threaders (life-priests) for working with energizers (magic-crafters) 5
4. not 3. For life-manifestations (of Yahu) working with thread correspondences 5.
5. For [missing word] 5. For anti-energizers (life-priests) working with Su-empowered magic elimination 3.
6. for [destroyed word] 12. For threading 13. For kinking
7. the threading 20. For threading 3.

In Akkadian

1. wa bētu ši šāḫu gi qu
2. 16 ga mu qu 40 Ḫi
3. Ku qu 16 qa ga 5
4. ya 3 du gu še qu 5
5. [ ] 5 ga yâsi tūzi
6. [ ]qu 12 qu 13 ḥaku
7. qu 20 qu 3

(November 25, 2022) The text reads:

1. For the nocturnal-chorus (magic-crafters) for working with the covering (night sky) 20. For Thu (connective motion power) for working with the Life-Sourcer (Alu),  
2. 5. For Hu’s threaders (life-priests) working with fate 7.
3. Threads are no longer magical. For Hu is striking-down Thu without the Life-Manifester (Yahu) 11. 
4. For nothing being erupted (in the network) 1. For not catching the wind 1. For misery due to
5. magic 1. For involvements not nourishing 1. For the boundary 6.

In Akkadian:

1. pāmu līṭu 20 ṭu da
2. 5 ḫu qa qarȗ 7
3. qu tu e ḫu ḥittu ṭu da la 11
4. e ḫuḫu 1 šāḫu ya 1 wa ku
5. tu 1 ku bu ya 1 etû 6

Front of Tablet 

(November 25, 2022) The text reads:

1. The activity-powers of Su are lacking
2. not the elimination-powers. For Hu 3
3. thread-items, for the nourishers of Hu (Alu) 4.
4. For nourishing the distant-one (life source deity) 1 anti-misery-maker
5. For magic for doing the same thing with Su-powers 1.

In Akkadian

1. ṣi su li
2. ya zi. Ḫu 3
3. qu ba Ḫu 4
4. bu nasû 1 
5. tu še si 1

Back of Tablet 

The text reads

1. For life-manifestations for working with the nourishing motion-powers 1
2. For the misery of eliminating-powers for working with openings 2

In Akkadian

1. di si bi 1
2. wa zi pu 2

(November 25, 2022) The text reads:

1. For the eagle-vulture-powers and Su (full moon motion source) 10. Correspondences for the white-ones (heavenly bodies),
2. 38. Correspondences for crafting-magic 10.
3. For the elimination-powers not causing misery (like goddess Ayu) 5.

In Akkadian

1. ri u su 10 puṣû
2. 38 ši tu 10
3. zi wa ya 5

(November 25, 2022) The text reads:

1. Threaders (life-priests) are not mixed up by fate-callers (astrological motion powers)
2. For the lack 1. For the activity-powers for working with Thu 1. For magic 1. Correspondences for Su-powers
3. involving Thu 1. For doing the same 1. For magic for working with the threads 1.
4. For opposing the same Hu-powers 1. For the desirers of Hu’s
5. misery 1. For those doing the same 1. For the elimination of the life manifestation's (Yahu)
6. involvement 1.

In Akkadian

1. Qa qara ḫiqu ya
2. la 2 ṣi ṭu 1 tu 1 še si
3. ku tu 1 ša 1 tu qu 1
4. yâ ša ḫi 1 ṣaba ḫu
5. wa'u 1 a ša 1 zu du
6. ku 1

(November 25, 2022) The text reads:

1. Thu’s magic is eliminating the nourishments.
2. The watchers (magic-crafting diviners) are not doing the same. For the life-threads 5.
3. Correspondences for Su-powers 56. Correspondences for the threaders (life-priests)
4. 27. For deaths due to Hu 8.
5. On account of forming-powers 19 hittings. For Su
6. working with similar elimination-powers 5.
7. For activating the the pasture (astrological night sky) 30 energizers.

In Akkadian

1. ṭu tu zu bu
2. palilu še ya qu 5
3. ša si 56 ša qa
4. 27 gaṣṣu ki ḫu 8
5. ki zīpu 19 ḥittu su
6. še zi 5
7. ṣē ta’û 30 ga

(November 25, 2022) The text reads:

1. For copper life-manifestations 4. Correspondences
2. for envy 61. For the energizers (magic-crafters) 11.
3. For the energizers (magic-crafters) 4 water-bringers. For the thread-powers (eagle-vultures) 7 water-bringers.
4. Not 1 is lacking.

In Akkadian

1. Du baṭȗ 4 ši
2. Qi’u 61 ga 10
3. 1 Ga 3 dalû. Qi 7 dalû. (vertical GL means letters go together)
4. Ya 1 lu

The smelting of metals seems to have been seen as being more analogous to life form birth than to mechanical assembly. This is evidenced the the use of the phrase "life manifestation." Copper and bronze also seem to have caused jealousy among those who did not have them as indicated by the phrase about envy and other items for the magic-crafters.

(November 25, 2022) The text reads:

1. For the threaders (life-priests) energizing the elimination-powers (eagle-vultures) working with their reed-mat (network) 10.
2. For the fertility-fluid misery-makers working with the threads 5 not 4. 
3. For Hu 2. For the openings 3. Correspondences for magic
4. 3.

In Akkadian

1. Qa gu zi ḫiṣṣu ša 10
2. wa mu qu 5 e 4 (the line over letter Q means it is a separate word)
3. Ḫu 2. Pu 3. Šu tu
4. 3