helens_daughter: (Default)

𐀷    𐀙   𐀏

wa  na  ka

 

The wa-na-ka, or wanax, was the title of a Mycenaean Greek king.  From the Pylos Linear B tablets, it seems that, depending on the context, the term meant either the earthly ruler, or a powerful male deity, perhaps Poseidon or Zeus.  It has also been suggested, and is quite likely, that the wanax served as a priest-king as well as chief administrator and war leader.

The Pylos tablets do not name the wanax directly, but a Pylian aristocrat named Enkhelyawon controlled vast holdings comparable with those of a wanax, and thus may have been the king of Pylos sometime around 1200 B.C.

Readers: if there is a particular topic you would like me to cover, please indicate your desire in the comments.

March 2012

S M T W T F S
     123
4 567 8 910
111213141516 17
1819 2021222324
25 262728293031

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 11th, 2025 09:02 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios