Linear A

E200350

Linear A is an undeciphered ancient script used by the Minoan civilization on Crete and nearby Aegean islands during the Bronze Age.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Linear A canonical 13

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient script
undeciphered script
writing system
addedToUnicodeVersion Unicode 7.0
archaeologicalContext palatial archives
villa sites
associatedCulture Minoan civilization
surface form: Minoan culture
chronologicalPhase Neopalatial period
Protopalatial period
contains fraction signs
ideograms
logograms
numerical signs
deciphermentStatus undeciphered
earliestUse circa 1800 BCE
foundAt Akrotiri (Thera)
surface form: Akrotiri on Thera

Hagia Triada
Keos
Knossos
Malia
Phaistos
Zakros
geographicContext Eastern Mediterranean
surface form: eastern Mediterranean
hasUnicodeBlock Linear A self-link
influenced Linear B
ISO15924Code Lina
languageWritten unknown Minoan language
latestUse circa 1450 BCE
medium clay tablets
metal objects
pottery inscriptions
stone inscriptions
numberOfSigns approximately 70–90 core signs
primaryFunction administrative record-keeping
economic accounting
relatedTo Cretan hieroglyphs
Cypro-Minoan script
scriptFamily Aegean scripts
Cretan scripts
scriptType linear script
successor Linear B
timePeriod Bronze Age
UnicodeRange U+10600–U+1077F
usedBy Minoan civilization
usedInRegion Aegean islands
southern Aegean
usedOn island of Crete
writingDirection left-to-right
writingSystemType syllabary

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Knossos associatedScript Linear A
Linear B derivedFrom Linear A
Linear A hasUnicodeBlock Linear A self-link
Cretan hieroglyphs relatedTo Linear A
Gournia writingSystem Linear A
Unicode 7.0 addsBlock Linear A
Minoan religion scriptUsed Linear A