Archaeologists discover the longest known inscription in the undeciphered Minoan Linear A script
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Reported by La Bruja Verde:
A team of archaeologists has discovered in Knossos, on the Greek island of Crete, the longest Linear A inscription found to date. The script appears on a circular ivory object with an attached handle, discovered in a context of clear religious significance within a Neopalatial building. Besides providing the longest inscription in this yet-to-be-deciphered system, the find offers new perspectives on the use of Minoan writing in ceremonial contexts.
The object was uncovered in one of the rooms of a Neopalatial-phase building(1700-1450 BCE) located in the Anetaki plot, an area of Knossos characterized by its religious use from the Protopalatial period through later times.
The inscription was found in the so-called Ivory Deposit, a semi-subterranean structure where fragments of pottery, bronze, and other offering-related items were also discovered.
The ivory object, provisionally identified as a scepter or ritual staff, features an engraved inscription in the Linear A script on all its surfaces. According to specialists who have studied the find, the total length of the text reaches approximately 119 signs, surpassing in length all other known inscriptions in this writing system.
The object consists of an ivory ring with a handle, which originally seemed to be a single unit. However, epigraphic studies have shown that the inscription on the ring and the one on the handle exhibit stylistic differences, suggesting they were engraved by different scribes or at different times.
The text on the ring is distributed across four faces, each containing inscriptions carved with an unusually high degree of precision for Linear A writing. It is distinguished by its calligraphic refinement, which suggests a ceremonial rather than administrative use, unlike most clay tablets inscribed in this system.
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