My Approach
1. Borrowed Signs from Linear B
Linear A and Linear B share many of the same symbols.
Because Linear B was cracked, we can guess the sound values of a lot of Linear A signs.
Problem: when we read them out loud, the words don’t match Greek (so the language is different).
Still, this gave us a “phonetic alphabet” to work with.
2. Numbers & Measurements
Linear A uses numerical signs and measurement symbols that match Linear B.
Example: tally marks for numbers, special signs for weights and volumes.
This means we can read totals, quantities, and sometimes even units.
3. Context & Content
Most inscriptions come from palace archives and sanctuaries.
They’re usually lists of goods, offerings, or names.
By looking at structure — like “number + sign + word” — we can spot patterns:
“5 [unit] X” = 5 jars of oil.
“Total” markers at the bottom, like in Linear B.
4. Word Endings (Morphology)
Just like Alice Kober spotted endings in Linear B, scholars see recurring suffixes in Linear A.
These look like they might mark plurals, cases, or verb endings.
Example: words ending in -si / -ti could mean plural forms, just as they do in Linear B.
5. Place & Personal Names
Some Linear A words look like Cretan place names we already know from later Greek sources.
Others behave like personal names in lists.
These identifications help anchor a few tokens.
6. Frequency & Comparison
Researchers build databases (like the one we started making) to count how often words/segments appear.
By comparing across tablets, we can say:
“This is a commodity word.”
“This is a person’s name.”
“This is the word for total.”
What We’ve Figured Out
The sound values of many signs (borrowed from Linear B).
Numbers, totals, and measurement units.
Some place names and possible personal names.
Likely suffixes that show grammar.
https://lineara.xyz/- Used for transliteration