Linear font A

The linear a (often shortened as Linear A hereinafter) in addition to the Crete Hieroglyphics one of the two writing systems of Minoan Crete . It was around from the 18th to the 15th century BC. Chr. Used and has so far only partially deciphered be. Their use is attested from the periods MM II to SM IB of the Minoan civilization. It was written from left to right. Of linear a the of the were later Greek custom Linear B and Cypro-Minoan syllabary developed. Since the descending fonts are (predominantly) syllabary fonts , it is very likely that Linear A is also a syllabary font.

In June 2014 the font was included in the Unicode 7.0 standard as Unicode block Linear A (U + 10600 – U + 1077F).

description

Fragments of Linear A tablets from Akrotiri

About 70 syllable characters , 100 characters with word meanings are known, some of which are combined with syllable characters and thereby more precisely defined, as well as various numerals. Although the Minoan language on which the script is based is unknown and has not yet been assigned to any known language family , the sound value of many syllable characters can be more or less inferred by comparing them with the linear script B.

Plaque with linear writing A (Chania Archaeological Museum)

The large number of logographic symbols enables the content of found texts to be indexed. It is assumed that the notes incised on clay tablets were often used for administration purposes, so that their deciphering would allow conclusions to be drawn about the economic conditions of the epoch. Most of the texts are evidently lists; some of the texts that contain the so-called libation formula are probably dedication inscriptions ; longer texts are completely absent.

Linear A on a vase, found in Akrotiri

For writing in clay, scratching lines, as with linear fonts, is not very suitable. It is therefore assumed that mainly other, not very durable materials such as papyrus or parchment were written on. The clay tablets were probably notes that were only kept for a short time. They only survived because they were burned by fire disasters and thus preserved for thousands of years.

Some characters of the Linear A are very similar to the archaic prototypes of the Mesopotamian cuneiform script . A relationship between the two writing systems, which could pave the way for an understanding of the linear A inscriptions, is therefore considered possible, albeit improbable because of the time lag.

Harald Haarmann sees 40% to 50% of the character inventory of Linear A as equivalences with the Danube script . It stands in the cultural tradition of the "Balkan-Aegean convergence zone".

Directory of characters

Marks and numbering after E. Bennett. The reading character based on analogues of Linear B .
* 01- * 20		* 21- * 30		* 31- * 53		* 54- * 74		* 76- * 122		* 123- * 306
	THERE * 01		QI * 21		SA * 31		WA * 54		* 76		* 123
	RO * 02		* 21 ^f		* 34		* 55		KA * 77		* 131a
	PA * 03		* 21 ^m		TI * 37		PA ₃ * 56		QE * 78		* 131b
	TE * 04		MI? * 22		E. * 38		YES * 57		WHERE ₂ ? * 79		* 131c
	* 05		* 22 ^f		PI * 39		SU * 58		MA * 80		* 164
	N / A * 06		* 22 ^m		WI * 40		TA * 59		KU * 81		* 171
	DI * 07		MU * 23		SI * 41		RA * 60		* 82		* 180
	A. * 08		* 23 ^m		KE * 44		O * 61		* 85		* 188
	S. * 09		NE * 24		* 45		JU * 65		* 86		* 191
	* 10		RU * 26		* 46		TA ₂ * 66		TWE * 87		* 301
	* 11		RE * 27		* 47		AI * 67		* 100 / * 102		* 302
	ME * 13		I. * 28		* 49		TU * 69		* 118		* 303
	QA ₂ * 16		* 28b		PU * 50		* 70		* 120		* 304
	ZA * 17th		* 29		YOU * 51		MI * 73		* 120b		* 305
	ZO * 20		NI * 30		* 53		ZE * 74		* 122		* 306

literature

Louis Godart , Jean-Pierre Olivier : Recueil des inscriptions en Linéaire A , 5 volumes; Études Crétoises 21; Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner, Paris 1976–1985; ISSN 1105-2236 (comprehensive inscription corpus ).

David W. Packard : Minoan Linear A . University of California Press, Berkeley / Los Angelas / London 1974, ISBN 0-520-02580-6 .

Franz Steinherr: Minoan and Hieroglyphic Hittite . In: Minos: Revista de filología egea . No. 3 . Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 1954, ISSN 0544-3733 , p. 30-54 ( online [accessed February 14, 2014]).

John Sundwall : Minoan posts I . In: Minos: Revista de filología egea . No. 3 . Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 1954, ISSN 0544-3733 , p. 107–117 ( online [accessed February 14, 2014]).

Johannes Sundwall: Minoan Contributions II . In: Minos: Revista de filología egea . No. 4 . Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 1956, ISSN 0544-3733 , p. 43–49 ( online [accessed February 14, 2014]).

Johannes Sundwall: Minoan Contributions III . In: Minos: Revista de filología egea . No. 5 . Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 1957, ISSN 0544-3733 , p. 93-98 ( online [accessed February 14, 2014]).

Margalit Finkelberg: The Language of Linear A: Greek, Semitic, or Anatolian? In: Robert Drews (Ed.): Greater Anatolia and the Indo-Hittite Language Family (= Journal of Indo-European Studies: Monograph . No. 38 ). University of Michigan, 2001, ISBN 978-0-941694-77-3 , ISSN 0895-7258 , pp. 81-105 (English, online ).

Web links

Commons : Linear A - collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

^ Ivo Hajnal : Grammar of Mycenaean Greek (Part I) p. 5–9 Online publication on the website of the Institute for Languages and Literature at the University of Innsbruck (PDF file, 1.09 MB)
↑ Thomas Balistier: The disc of Phaistos . The story of a riddle & the attempts to solve it. 3. Edition. Dr. Thomas Balistier, Mähringen 2008, ISBN 978-3-9806168-1-2 , viewing and moving direction of the symbols, p. 95 .
↑ Writing direction index. www.omniglot.com, accessed September 24, 2012 .
↑ Unicode 7.0.0. Unicode Consortium, June 16, 2014, accessed June 17, 2014 .
↑ Hans Glarner: Sumerian characters in Linear A . In: Kadmos 41 (2002), pp. 121-122.
↑ Haarmann, Harald: In the footsteps of the Indo-Europeans. From the Neolithic steppe nomads to the early advanced civilizations. Beck, Munich 2016, p. 323.

[1] Ivo Hajnal : Grammar of Mycenaean Greek (Part I) p. 5–9 Online publication on the website of the Institute for Languages and Literature at the University of Innsbruck (PDF file, 1.09 MB)

[Balistier7-2] Thomas Balistier: The disc of Phaistos . The story of a riddle & the attempts to solve it. 3. Edition. Dr. Thomas Balistier, Mähringen 2008, ISBN 978-3-9806168-1-2 , viewing and moving direction of the symbols, p. 95 .

[3] Writing direction index. www.omniglot.com, accessed September 24, 2012 .

[4] Unicode 7.0.0. Unicode Consortium, June 16, 2014, accessed June 17, 2014 .

[5] Hans Glarner: Sumerian characters in Linear A . In: Kadmos 41 (2002), pp. 121-122.

[6] Haarmann, Harald: In the footsteps of the Indo-Europeans. From the Neolithic steppe nomads to the early advanced civilizations. Beck, Munich 2016, p. 323.