A note on the verbal forms in Mycenaean sealings

The aim of this article is to bring the evidence of inscribed Mycenaean nodules and labels into the debate about the aspect-tense opposition of the Mycenaean verbal system. After a brief introduction to the Mycenaean language and literacy, the paper reviews all conjugated verbal forms attested in inscribed sealings (nodules and labels), analysing them within the context in which they occur and in relation to the typology of the devices on which they have been inscribed. It then discusses the values of these verbal forms with specific regard to the verbal categories of tense and aspect. The article provides further evidence in support of the traditional model, according to which the Mycenaean verbal system was primarily aspect-based.