4 ms·
That's one of the reasons. Another, and more important one, is that we don't know the language that the script transcribes. The claim above is that it's Hebrew.
by YeGoblynQueenne 4mo ago
That's one of the reasons. Another, and more important one, is that we don't know the language that the script transcribes. The claim above is that it's Hebrew.
I have no idea why Minoans would speak Hebrew, there's no indication as far as I'm aware of extensive cultural exchange between the Minoan civ and Hebrew-speaking people, but there's a very clear hierarchy of difficulty to translate dead scripts. From easier to harder:
a) We know what language the script transcribes and how the script transcribes it (e.g. what symbol means what word or sound).
b1) We don't what language the script transcribes but we know how the script transcribes it (e.g. it's a syllabary or an abjad etc).
b2) We know what language the script transcribes but we don't know how the script transcribes it (e.g. Egyptian hieroglyphics).
c) We don't know what language the script transcribes nor do we know how it transcribes it.
b1) and b2) are more or less of similar difficulty.
Linear A goes to category c) above. We know next to nothing about the script or the language, other than the fact the former was reused in linear B to transcribe Mycenean Greek.
- Tuna-Fish 4mo agoSemitic, not Hebrew. Hebrew is one language in the semitic group, alongside Arabic, Amharic and many more. They were much more spread out in the west before the iron age, with most people in Asia Minor belonging to the group. Some of the earliest states used the languages, and they spread alongside the idea of states.
- YeGoblynQueenne 4mo agoYou're right of course but the article above is unclear about whether the claim is that Linear A transcribes Hebrew or a different Semitic language. First it says that the language of Linear A is a semitic language that is a precursor to biblical Hebrew: >> Di Mino believes that Linear A belongs to an extinct Semitic language that was a precursor to biblical Hebrew, the way that Latin is a precursor to Italian. But then it compares the Linear A language directly to Hebrew. For example: >> Once deciphered, Di Mino saw that the prayer was similar to subsequent Hebrew prayers but was addressed to a Goddess. So maybe I'm confused. The claim that the Minoans spoke a semitic language sounds less odd than claiming they spoke straight-up biblical Hebrew.