Linear A facts for kids

Close-up of a tablet containing writing in Linear A

Tablets with Linear A found on the island of Thera

Linear A as it was found on a cup

Linear A is a very old script that people used on the island of Crete. No one has been able to translate this script yet. It was one of the ways people wrote during the Minoan time in Crete.

There was another writing system, even older, called Cretan hieroglyphs. For a while, both Linear A and Cretan hieroglyphs were used at the same time. It's thought that each system might have been used for different reasons.

When Was Linear A Used?

Linear A was used from about the 17th century BC until the 15th century BC. This means it was used for about 200 years.

A later script, called Linear B, was actually based on Linear A. The good news is that Linear B has been translated! A famous archaeologist named Arthur Evans was the one who found both Linear A and Linear B.

What Do We Know About Linear A?

Linear A has about 50 signs that look similar to those in Linear B. However, about 80% of the signs in Linear A are unique, meaning they are only found in Linear A.

If you try to read Linear A using what we know from Linear B, it doesn't make sense. This tells us that Linear A was written in a different language. This language has been called Eteocretan. It doesn't seem to be related to any languages we know today.

Today, we know about 70 characters in Linear A. These characters probably stand for syllables (like "ba" or "ko"). We also know the meaning of about 100 ideographic characters. Ideograms are symbols that represent whole words or ideas, like a picture of an ox meaning "ox." There are also a few numerals (numbers) whose values we understand.

What Kind of Texts Were Written?

Most of the texts found in Linear A seem to be lists. Some short texts are probably dedications, which are like special messages. These are often found on objects used for libations (religious offerings).

So far, no long texts written in Linear A have been found. Writing straight lines, like those in Linear A, isn't very easy on clay tablets. Because of this, most writing was probably done on other materials. Things like papyrus or parchment would have been used. The problem is that these materials don't last as long as clay. So, most of the writing on papyrus and parchment has likely been lost over time.

Different Ancient Writing Systems

Here's a quick look at some ancient writing systems from the region:

Images for kids

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  Linear A tablet from the palace of Zakros, Archeological Museum of Sitia.

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  Minoan inscriptions, Linear A script

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  Linear A incised on a jug, also found in Akrotiri.

See also

In Spanish: Lineal A para niños