# \*mass- 'forced labor, corvée levy, labor gang'

A Proto-Semitic root the Linear A Lexicon's readings rest on.

- Author's gloss: forced labour, corvée; a gang of workers
- Record: https://github.com/plasma-ai/kaphtor/blob/50525edd50131a50e59ec82bf5132da0fa89efc9/wiki/semitic-roots/m/S31_forced_labor_corvee_levy_labor_gang.md

## In Linear A

- [MA-ZA](<https://linear-a.ai/lexicon/MA-ZA/index.md>) (mazza): corvée workers, labour gang (personnel term)
- [ME-ZA](<https://linear-a.ai/lexicon/ME-ZA/index.md>) (massu): corvée gang, labour gang (personnel term); the word of MA-ZA
- [MI-ZA-SE](<https://linear-a.ai/lexicon/MI-ZA-SE/index.md>) (mizza-se): for the corvée gang (terminative -SE); the corvée word of MA-ZA / ME-ZA

## Notes

Direct vassal-labor register term. Solomon's mas is the Bible's primary corvée institution.

## Reflexes: East Semitic

- Akkadian: Amarna: {lu₂-meš}ma-as-sa₃.MEŠ, massu a collective, EA 365 (Moran 1992, 363 and n. 1); massu, Alalakh, EA (CAD M/1 327) (gloss withheld)

## Reflexes: Northwest Semitic

- Hebrew: mas (HALOT 603; 1 Kgs 5:27—Solomon's corvée; Josh 16:10; Judg 1:28–35) (gloss withheld)
- Judaic Aramaic: missā (HALOT 603) (gloss withheld)
- Canaanite: mazza (HALOT 603)

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Page: https://linear-a.ai/roots/S31/
Licence: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Cite as: di Mino, Tom. 2026. Linear A Lexicon. Plasma AI. https://linear-a.ai/. Data: kaphtor, commit 50525edd.