Mother Goddess or Divine Mortal? A Reconsideration of ma-te-re te-i-ja in PY Fr 1202

A Linear B tablet from Pylos, PY Fr 1202, contains the only mention of ma-te-re te-i-ja in the Linear B corpus. This figure is often assumed to be a goddess, and above all, an Anatolian goddess; otherwise, she is understood to be the queen of Pylos. This thesis first problematizes the previous interpretations of ma-te-re te-i-ja, then provides a new interpretation of PY Fr 1202 by establishing a context for analysis through the archaeology of Pylos and the tablet’s relationship with PY Fr 1206. It is argued that that ma-te-re te-i-ja represents a Mycenaean translation of the Hittite šiwanzanniš, and the oil recorded in PY Fr 1202 is being sent to a priestess in Anatolia.