Invention of Linear A: What Happened
Around 1800 BC, the Minoans of Crete developed Linear A, a script of simple line-drawn signs that replaced the earlier Cretan hieroglyphs for most everyday record-keeping. Scribes pressed it into clay tablets to track grain, olive oil, wine, livestock and people, and carved it onto stone offering tables and other religious objects. The largest collection of tablets comes from Hagia Triada in southern Crete, but examples have also been found at Phaistos, Zakros and Knossos, and on islands such as Thera, Kea, Milos and Kythera, showing how far Minoan influence reached. The script combines around 90 syllable signs with symbols for goods and numbers. Because the Mycenaeans later adapted it into Linear B, scholars can roughly sound out many Linear A words. The problem is that the underlying Minoan language is unknown and not related to Greek, so the texts still cannot be understood. The name was coined by Arthur Evans. Linear A remains one of the great unsolved puzzles of archaeology and a direct window into Europe's earliest literate society.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Linear A?
Linear A is a script used by the Minoans of Crete from around 1800 to 1450 BC. It was written mostly on clay tablets to keep records of goods such as grain, oil and wine, and on religious objects.
Has Linear A been deciphered?
No. Scholars can roughly sound out many words because the later Linear B script was based on it, but the Minoan language itself is unknown. As a result, the meaning of Linear A texts remains a mystery.
What is the difference between Linear A and Linear B?
Linear A was used by the Minoans to write their own unknown language. Linear B was adapted from it by the Mycenaeans to write an early form of Greek, and it was deciphered in 1952.
Where has Linear A been found?
Most Linear A texts come from Crete, especially Hagia Triada, Phaistos, Zakros and Knossos. Examples have also been found on islands such as Santorini, Kea, Milos and Kythira, showing the reach of Minoan influence.
Who named Linear A?
The British archaeologist Arthur Evans named it Linear A after excavating Knossos in the early 1900s. He used the name to distinguish it from the later Linear B script and from the earlier Cretan hieroglyphs.
