What do we know about Linear A?

Linear A is a writing system that was used by the Minoans (Cretans) from 1800 to 1450 BC to write the hypothesized Minoan language. Linear A was the primary script used in palace and religious writings of the Minoan civilization. It was discovered by archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans.

Where did Linear A script come from?

Crete
Linear A and Linear B, linear forms of writing used by certain Aegean civilizations during the 2nd millennium bc. Linear A is attested in Crete and on some Aegean islands from approximately 1850 bc to 1400 bc. Its relation to the so-called hieroglyphic Minoan script is uncertain.

How is the Greek alphabet different from the Mycenaean Linear B writing system?

Linear B is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries. The oldest Mycenaean writing dates to about 1450 BC. They have no phonetic value and are never used as word signs in writing a sentence.

Where have examples of Linear A been found?

Most examples of Linear A have been found on clay tablets. Other examples have been identified on pottery sherds, seal-stones, steatite seals and pendants, and inscribed building blocks.

Where was the Linear B script found?

Knossos
Linear B is the name for the late Minoan script which was first found on clay tablets and sealings in the second palace at Knossos on Crete. These early tablets survived because they were baked in the fire which burned down the palace.

Can we read Minoan?

The Minoan language known as “Linear A” may finally be deciphered with the help of the internet, which can be used to uncover previously-hidden links to the much-better understood Linear B language, which developed later in the prehistoric period. A translation of a Linear B tablet by Dr.

How many symbols are there in Linear A?

Linear A is mixed script consisting of 60 phonetic symbols representing syllables and 60 sematographic symbols representing sounds and concrete objects or abstract ideas. Many of the symbols resemble those used in Linear B and have been assigned the same pronunciation.

What is the main subject of the Mycenaean Linear B tables?

Most Linear B inscriptions are on clay tablets and largely concerned with documenting economic transactions of the palace administration, but we also have a few examples that relate to military activity. Linear B is the oldest preserved form of written Greek that we know of.

What does Evans believe his discovery of Linear B at Knossos proves?

When Arthur Evans started digging at Knossos on Crete in 1900, a major aim was to find inscriptions and prove that the ancient Cretans had been literate. The later, Linear B, represented a subsequent intrusion of Mycenaeans from the mainland. …

What was the first true civilization among the Greek people?

Mycenaean Greece
The first Greek civilization was known as Mycenaean Greece, which lasted roughly from 1600 to 1100 B.C.E. during a time period known as the Bronze…

Who decoded Linear B?

Michael Ventris
… structure of a language was Linear B, a Mycenaean Greek orthography developed about 1400 bce and deciphered in 1952 by Michael Ventris, an English architect and cryptographer.

What is the linear a script?

Linear A script was the prevalent form of writing on Crete between 1850 to 1400BC. The script survives mainly on rectangular clay tablets and on religious objects such as offering tables. Linear A was a pictorial form of writing.

When was linear a written?

Linear A is attested in Crete and on some Aegean islands from approximately 1850 bc to 1400 bc. Its relation to the so-called hieroglyphic Minoan script is uncertain. It is a syllabic script written from left to right.

Is linear a a Minoan script?

Linear A is attested in Crete and on some Aegean islands from approximately 1850 bcto 1400 bc. Its relation to the so-called hieroglyphic Minoan script is uncertain. It is a syllabic script written from left to right.

Is linear a a pre-Hellenic language?

The approximate phonetic values of most syllabic signs used in Linear A are known from Linear B, but the languagewritten in Linear A remains unknown. It must have been a pre-Hellenic language of Minoan Crete.