BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Longest Linear A Inscription Found in Knossos

Discovery may help decode mysterious Minoan script

Minoan Linear A is one of the most famous undeciphered scripts from the ancient world. In use from around 1800 to 1450 BCE, it continues to baffle researchers. However, a recent discovery, published in the series Ariadne Supplements, could move scholars just a little closer to finally unlocking its mysteries. The discovery in question? The longest-ever Linear A inscription, carved onto an ivory scepter found in the ancient city of Knossos.

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Recording the Minoan Cult

The scepter, alongside numerous other precious finds, was uncovered inside a semi-subterranean repository of a large, cultic building. The extremely fragile scepter, which was likely originally intended for display, is constructed of two separate pieces: a round ring and a handle, both of which are covered on all sides with writing. However, the writing on the ring is particularly intriguing. According to researchers, the writing, which features a staggering 119 signs preserved in whole or in part, formed one single inscription. This makes it by far the longest Linear A text ever discovered.

Although written in Linear A, the ring’s inscription is carved in a more refined style than other Linear A inscriptions, resembling the signs of Cretan hieroglyphs, which were also in use at the time. This style and the artistic refinement of the carving set the inscription apart, suggesting the object had a ceremonial use. On all four sides of the ring, the inscription is divided into smaller sections. Many of these sections include logographic symbols representing animals, vases, textiles, and hides. One side features a series of a dozen logographic quadrupeds. In contrast, another side includes ten different vases, eight of which have additional signs over them, likely representing the contents of the depicted vases. According to the team, the inscription probably recorded offerings or sacrifices meant to be used for a religious feast or ceremony.

The handle of the ivory scepter likewise included writing on all four of its sides, but in a different style and probably carved by a different scribe. This shorter inscription included more vases and animals, several sets of numbers, and a handful of Cretan hieroglyphs.

The scepter’s ring is carved from a single piece of elephant tusk and features two holes bored through it. Across from each is a small indentation carved into the ivory. Rods were likely placed into these holes to suspend an object that was made of some perishable material. The scepter is unique within the archaeological record. However, the team identified several depictions within contemporary seals that appear to show similar objects.

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Discovered by a British archaeologist in 1900, Linear A belongs to a group of scripts that developed without identifiable connections to the other major scripts of the time, namely Egyptian hieroglyphs and Mesopotamian cuneiform. Another script from this group, syllabic Linear B, was cracked in the 1950s and identified as preserving the Mycenaean Greek language. The logosyllabic Linear A, however, has remained undecipherable, despite sharing numerous signs with Linear B. While some proposals for the reading of various Linear A signs have been put forward, none have produced anything understandable. Indeed, it might be that while Linear B preserved a Greek language, Linear A was used to represent a yet unknown language.

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