Olive Cup

These are the symbols (logograms) of olive tree, olive and olive oil in linear A

Linear A is one of two currently undeciphered writing systems used in ancient Greece (Cretan hieroglyphic is the other). Linear A was the primary script used in palace and religious writings of the Minoan civilization. It was discovered by archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans (1900). It is related to the Linear B script, which succeeded the Linear A and was used by the Mycenaean civilization.

Archaeologist Arthur Evans named the script “Linear” because its characters consisted simply of lines inscribed in clay, in contrast to the more pictographic characters in Cretan hieroglyphs that were used during the same period

Linear A became eminent during the Middle Minoan Period, specifically from 1625–1450 B.C. It was a contemporary and possible child of Cretan hieroglyphs and the ancestor of Linear B. The sequence and the geographical spread of Cretan hieroglyphs, Linear A and Linear B, the three overlapping, but distinct writing systems on Bronze Age Crete and the Greek mainland can be summarized as follows:^[11]

Linear A has hundreds of signs, believed to represent syllabic, ideographic, and semantic values in a manner similar to Linear B. While many of those assumed to be syllabic signs are similar to ones in Linear B, approximately 80% of Linear A’s logograms are unique.( In written language, a logogram or logograph is a written character that represents a word or phrase)