Linear A and Linear B, linear forms of writing used by certain Aegean civilizations during the 2nd millennium bc. Linear A is attested in Crete and on some Aegean islands from approximately 1850 bc to 1400 bc. Its relation to the so-called hieroglyphic Minoan script is uncertain. It is a syllabic script written from left to right. The approximate phonetic values of most syllabic signs …

Mathematics in ancient Egypt. The introduction of writing in Egypt in the predynastic period (c. 3000 bce) brought with it the formation of a special class of literate professionals, the scribes.By virtue of their writing skills, the scribes took on all the duties of a civil service: record keeping, tax accounting, the management of public works (building projects and the like), even the ...

Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks. That the myths contained a considerable element of fiction was recognized by the more critical Greeks, such as the philosopher Plato in the 5th–4th century bce. In general, however, in the popular piety of the Greeks, the myths were viewed as true accounts. Greek mythology has …