Le misure del valore nell'economia micenea

This paper examines the evidence for the use of measures of value in the Mycenaean economy. Linear B tablets PY Un 1322 and KN L 693 are analyzed and compared with PY An 35 and Un 443. These texts provide us with some evidence that a certain kind of craft products (we are confident of cloths) were evaluated in amounts of bronze or in amounts of grain, according to the need and availability of grain or bronze in the Palace and to the nature of the products to be evaluated. Nevertheless, there is no evidence for standard units of value. Moreover, Linear B tablets do not provide any information about international trade. It is likely, however, that the Mycenaeans needed to join the Near Eastern system of exchange based on the evaluation of goods in quantities of weighed metal.