What is "kerykes"

The Kerykes (, pl. of , Keryx) of Bronze Age Pylos 1200 BC, home to the aged Homeric hero Nestor and the Neleides, are listed in the Linear B tablets as ka-ru-ke serving the ra-wa-ko-ri, the commander of armed forces. In Athens, this office became ceremonial, functioning from the Leokoreion, a building site at the Dipylon Gate. Linear B tablets that refer to the keryx mention the office in context with e-ma-a (e-ma-ha) a-re-ja, Hermes Areias, meaning either the Warrior, or the Curser (aras).