ABSTRACT
Just as the progress of archaeology has immensely enriched our knowledge about Greek prehistory, so the science of historical linguistics has set in a new perspective the unique importance of the Greek language and the literary tradition which it embodies. That is because the Greek language has been continuously cultivated as a means of literary expression from Bronze Age times and also because it has survived with relatively so few changes compared with other European languages. No other European language presents such a long and ample record for evolutionary study.
