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.

Knossos palace crete
Knossos palace in Crete. Credit: Cayambe / Wikimedia Commons

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.

ivory scepter linear a knossos
The site of the finding of the ivory scepter at Knossos. Credit: A. Kanta et al.

The inscription is divided into metopes or separate sections, within which logographic symbols representing animals, vessels, textiles, and hides appear, possibly relating to ritual activities.

One of the faces features a series of twelve quadrupeds, each within its own metope, suggesting an iconographic record of offerings or sacrifices.

Another face contains a sequence of syllabic and logographic characters, in some cases associated with vessel signs, which might indicate information about their contents.

ivory scepter linear a knossos
The ivory scepter at the time of the finding. Credit: A. Kanta et al.

Implications for the Study of Linear A

The discovery of this inscription provides an unprecedented opportunity to advance the study of Linear A, a writing system still undeciphered, which was used in Crete and other Aegean regions during the Bronze Age. Its length and the presence of ritual iconography suggest that it may be a ceremonial text or a record of offerings.

A particularly significant aspect is the absence of numerals, a feature that distinguishes this inscription from administrative texts on clay tablets. This reinforces the hypothesis that Minoan writing was not limited to accounting but also played a role in religious and ceremonial contexts.

On the other hand, the handle of the object bears a different inscription in Linear A, but with a structure more similar to administrative texts, including numerical and fractional signs. This could indicate a dual use for the object, combining ritual elements with a possible record-keeping function.

SOURCES

Kanta, A., Nakassis, D., Palaima, T. G., & Perna, M. (2025). An archaeological and epigraphical overview of some inscriptions found in the Cult Center of the city of Knossos (Anetaki plot). Ariadne, 27–43. doi.org/10.26248/ariadne.vi.1841

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