Some Aspects of the Role of Scribes in Pylian Palace Administration

The purpose of this essay is to discuss several points, aimed at enhancing our understanding of the human aspect of the scribes: their actions, the framework in which they worked, the way they made tablets, their specialization, their movements and their co-operation with other scribes. Needless to say, such a study cannot be conclusive, and cannot account for the whole Mycenaean world; it will be limited to one palace: the Palace of Pylos. This has been chosen because it is the most thoroughly excavated and published Mycenaean palace, has a large concentration of Linear B tablets, and occupies a relatively restricted area.