What was linear a

Salgarella examined Linear A and Linear B in socio-historical context. To compare them more easily, she created an online resource of individual signs and inscriptions called SigLA — The Signs of Linear A: a paleographic database. Following the fall of the Minoan civilization, there is a gap of about 50 years with no archaeological evidence of either script on Crete.

Salgarella explained. These suggest the labels were used to secure information written on folded or rolled perishable material, such as papyrus. Natural disasters caused fires, which destroyed any writing materials and baked the inscriptions into the clay labels and tablets. Salgarella said. Simon Castellan, from the University of Rennes in France.

It features a list of standard signs and inscriptions which were copied by hand. It is still under construction, but more than 3, individual signs found within the inscriptions are currently searchable. Professor Tim Whitmarsh, the A. Salgarella has demonstrated that Linear B is closely related to its mysterious and previously illegible predecessor. She has brought us one step closer to understanding it.

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However, it has not yet been translated. This is because too few of the texts survive to allow comparison for successful deciphering. Despite this, many experts believe they can recognize Semitic or Indo-European elements in the script.

This similarity has helped them form some idea of how the language of Linear A worked. Sir Arthur Evans first discovered the script at Knossos. Linear B is phonetic writing, formed of 90 symbols, some of which it shares with its precursor, Linear A. The Knossos collection of Linear B tablets represents the largest known deposit of this particular script in the Greek world.

In all, archaeologists discovered tablets across six palace sites across the Greek world, at Knossos. Their discovery was something of a fluke. For the Linear B script was written on unfired clay tablets.

These tablets would not usually have survived in the archaeological record due to their tenuous nature. However, the fire that destroyed Knossos inadvertently fired and so preserved the tablets. In , Michael Ventris finally deciphered Linear B.