Alcune osservazioni sulla formula di libagione minoica

In the present article I analyse some of the sign groups appearing in the notorious Minoan libation formula, notably a-sa-sa-ra-me (a term having a possible parallel in Lycian B) with its Hieroglyphic variant, whose reading as a-sa-sa-me-ne is here proposed and argumented; a-ta- (a possible Lallwort) and ta-na-, which alternate as first words of the formula; u-na-ka-na-si i-pi-na-ma, a sort of secondary formula added to the main one. By connecting already published theories with brand new ideas, this paper gives strong evidence for the presence, in the Bronze Age Crete, of a male sky god, venerated in peak sanctuaries (while cave sanctuaries were probably devoted to a female earth goddess), and called “Father” and “Lord of Dikte”, and to whom the libation tables were dedicated: this god has probably been the predecessor for the classic Greek Zeus, who preserves many features from the cretan god. Moreover, the article points to morphological elements in the Linear A script suggesting a possible link between minoan language and Indo-European languages, and the Anatolian languages in particular, including a -men stem for neuter nouns, and a -mi/-si/-ti verbal suffix set.