I
Front Matter
Linear A
Script of the Cretan Minoan civilization (1800–1450 BC).
Script of the Cretan Minoan civilization (1800–1450 BC). Even though Linear B was deciphered, Linear A remains undecoded. The underlying Minoan language matches no known language family, so applying Linear B phonetic values yields sounds but no meaning. The recurring phrase "A-SA-SA-RA-ME" is theorized as a goddess name but cannot be confirmed. Only a major new excavation or bilingual inscription could provide the answer.
III
The Letters
Signs · Unicode · TypesSample GlyphsClick to copy
Unicode
Range 1U+10600–U+1077F
Total signs400
In Unicode341
Only 341 of 400 total signs are in Unicode — 59 remain unencoded.
Unicode Blocks
Glyph evolution
Form change over time
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IV
The Decipherment
Undeciphered for 120+ years (1900–present)Key scholars
Clay tablets and rock inscriptions from Crete & Santorini (~1,500 items)
Arthur Evans1851–1941
First discovered and classified Linear A and B. Failed to decipher either in his lifetime.
Jan Best1942–
Claimed decipherment but not accepted by the scholarly community.
Before
Used by the Minoan civilization of Crete around 1800–1450 BC for palace administration, religious rites, and trade documents. Found across the Aegean, but scarce enough to make statistical analysis difficult.
Breakthrough
There has been no breakthrough. Over 120 years of attempts, none accepted by the scholarly community. Minoan is likely an isolated language or one that left no known descendants.
After
Linear A remains one of the greatest linguistic mysteries of our time. We still do not know what language the Minoan civilization spoke. Only a major new excavation or a bilingual inscription could provide the answer.
Decoded signs
Glyph → phonetic → meaning
𐘀
𐘁
𐘓
𐘔
V
Reading Mechanics
Direction · Method↔
Direction
Left to Right (LTR)
좌→우 (LTR)
α
System
Syllabary
⌨
Input method
Direct Unicode input
Keyboard layout
Standard IME · input chart
Keyboard layout data not yet available.
VI
The Lineage
Family · DescendantsPhylogeny
Descendants of hieroglyphs
Phylogeny
Related scripts
Ancestors · Descendants · Family
Descendants
Same family
VII