Ancient DNA reveals origins of the Minoans and Mycenaeans

The Minoans were a literate Bronze Age civilization that flourished thousands of years ago (one woman shown dancing,

in a fresco fragment that dates from 1600-1450 BCE) [Credit: Wolfgang Sauber, WikiCommons]

The Bull-Leaping-Fresco from the Great Palace at Knossos, Crete. (The original is located at Heraklion

Archaeological Museum, Heraklion, Crete) [Credit: Lapplaender, WikiCommons]

Linear A inscription on a clay tablet from Crete, probably 15th century BC. (Archaeological Museum of Heraklion)

Because Linear A, and the hieroglyphic scripts used on Crete, were never deciphered, the origins of the language they

represent are not clear but it is thought to be distinct from early Greek [Credit: Zde, WikiCommons]

Clay tablet, dated to 1450-1375 BC, inscribed with Linear B script. The Linear B script of the Mycenaen civilization

(c. 1600 to 1100 BC) represented an early form of Greek. It was descended from the still undeciphered older Linear A

script from the Minoan civilization (c. 2600 to 1100 BC) [Credit: vintagedept, WikiCommons]

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