Minoan Cretan Hieroglyphics (2000 BCE)

These seals precede the creation of the Phaistos Disk. These show the first stage of Minoan writing in which the signs are still mostly pictographic. These seals demonstrate Minoan Akkadian writing developed independently of Mesopotamian Cuneiform.

For translation methodology see latest: Druid-Akkadian Dictionary and Letter Charts.

(September 30, 2024) East side of Crete. The cities of Knossos and Phaistos controlled the largest valleys in Crete. After an earthquake destroyed Phaistos, Knossos came to rule the whole island. Notice the sacred cave on Mount Dikte in the center of the island. This word means "Manifestings of Kate" from Di.KaTe in which the goddess "Kate" became "Hekate" in Greek texts.

Minoan Crete

(August 27, 2022, updated September 30, 2024) Crete started to be settled by the Neolithic farmers around 7,000 BCE who established the city of Knossos (Evans, 1994). Settlements were soon established all across the island (Tomkins, 2008). The Minoan civilization emerged around 3000 BCE when a noticeable increase in the number and sophistication of its material goods occurred. The Minoan civilization ended on Crete when the island was conquered by the Myceneans around 1450 BCE which was between the volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini in 1620 BCE (Höflmayer 2012) and before the Great Drought of 1170 BCE which ended the Bronze Age.

These seals are the earliest writing on the island and they are essentially pictographic. The existence of this stage indicates the Minoans were inventing their own writing system based upon their own language and culture. Nothing is their pictographs was copied from Egypt or Mesopotamia.

References

Evans, J. D. (1994). The early millennia: Continuity and change in a farming settlement. In D. Evely, H. Hughes-Breck, & N. Mornigliano (Eds.), Knossos: labyrinth of history (pp. 1–20). London, UK: British School at Athens.
Höflmayer (2012) The Date of the Minoan Santorini Eruption: Quantifying the “Offset” Radiocarbon, volume 54, Issue 3-4. Cambridge University Press. Published online on July 18, 2016 at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/radiocarbon/article/date-of-the-minoan-santorini-eruption-quantifying-the-offset/F2FB5ECEE5D46FCF9272EA357364CCDF
Tomkins, P. D. (2008). Time, space and the reinvention of the cre-tan neolithic. In V. Isaakidou & P. Tomkins (Eds.), Escapingthe labyrinth, the Cretan Neolithic in context, Sheffield stud-ies in Aegean archaeology (pp. 21–48). Oxford, UK: OxbowBooks
https://www.explorecrete.com/crete-archaeology-history.htm

Cat Seal - Minoan Text 16.1

(November 11, 2023, updated September 30, 2024)

Signs

Top sign is an illustration of a twisted string which is the Akkadian word Gidlu. This is the source word for the phoneme Gi.
Next sign is an illustration of an axe head which represents the Akkadian source word "pāšu" meaning "battle-ax." This is the source word for the letter P.
Next sign is an illustration of an eye-pupil which represents the Akkadian source word A'u meaning "motion powers." These powers were thought to originate with the movements of the heavenly bodies and with inner emotions (eye pupil). The motion power source god was Su who corresponds to both the dark new moon and the pupil of the eye. This is the source word for the letter ayin (').
Bottom sign is an illustration of a cat which is the Akkadian word "šurānu." Cats were very popular with Egyptians as an addition to their main life deities. Their temple to the cat was “Bastet/Bašet” which means “house of the cat.” The English word for cat seems to have originated from the end of this Egyptian word via Latin catta/katta (Martial, c. 75 C.E.) and Byzantine Greek katta (c. 350) and was in general use on the continent by c. 700, replacing Latin feles. The /š/ sound Bastet/Bašet is pronounced something like /sk/ and /st/ initially producing the word "skat" and then "cat." The Akkadian word "šurānu" when broken apart as ŠR.N means "Sirius's revelations." Sirius is the companion star to the sun and as such was considered as the intermediary between the divine life powers and the divine motion powers.

Akkadian Words

(verb in italic-bold)

Gu Pa'u ŠeRu Nu

English Translation

Energize the divine-birds from Sirius' revelations.

The divine birds of the motion powers are owls while the divine birds of the life powers are the eagle-vultures which cut the life threads in the life network. Thus this is a statement about getting them working together.

Reference

Seal at Heraklion Archaeological Museum on Crete. Image from Ingo Pini via Wikimedia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pini-plombe-orig-II2_316d_3.2.jpg

Comet Seal - Minoan Text 16.2

(Revised September 30, 2024)

Signs

Top sign is an illustration of a comet which may represent a phoneme sign but if so its meaning is unknown. The comet could be Halley's comet which returned most recently in 1836, 1912, and 1988 (every 76 years).
Middle sign is the phoneme Li from the Akkadian word for "chicken" which is "lidanu." The sign shows a chicken head.
Bottom sign is an illustration of an eye-pupil which represents the Akkadian source word A'u meaning "motion powers." These powers were thought to originate with the movements of the heavenly bodies and with inner emotions (eye pupil). The motion power source god was Su who corresponds to both the dark new moon and the pupil of the eye. This is the source word for the letter ayin (').

Akkadian Words

"Comet" Li'u

Translation Into English

Comet is part of the plan-of-fate.

The night sky was a source of omens about fate. Its interpretation became astrology.

References

Image from: Decorte, R. P-J. E. (2017) ‘Cretan Hieroglyphic and the Nature of Script’ in Steele, P. M. (ed.) Understanding Relations Between Scripts: The Aegean Writing Systems, Oxford (Oxbow), ch. 3. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/11612879/Decorte_R_P_J_E_2017_Cretan_Hieroglyphic_and_the_Nature_of_Script_in_Steele_P_M_ed_Understanding_Relations_Between_Scripts_The_Aegean_Writing_Systems_33_56_Oxford_Oxbow

Birth Seal - Minoan Text 16.3

(Revised September 30, 2024)

Signs

Top sign is the letter Š represented by an illustration of birth which is described by the Akkadian word having a the general meaning of "sprout" which is Šedu.
Bottom sign is the letter Ḫ from the Akkadian word for "alarm" which is Ḫatu. This letter has already achieved its Minoan Linear A form.

Akkadian Word

ŠaḪu

Translation Into English

"May you catch the wind."

References

Image from: Decorte, R. P-J. E. (2017) ‘Cretan Hieroglyphic and the Nature of Script’ in Steele, P. M. (ed.) Understanding Relations Between Scripts: The Aegean Writing Systems, Oxford (Oxbow), ch. 3. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/11612879/Decorte_R_P_J_E_2017_Cretan_Hieroglyphic_and_the_Nature_of_Script_in_Steele_P_M_ed_Understanding_Relations_Between_Scripts_The_Aegean_Writing_Systems_33_56_Oxford_Oxbow

(Sept. 13, 2022)

Image from: Decorte, R. P-J. E. (2017) ‘Cretan Hieroglyphic and the Nature of Script’ in Steele, P. M. (ed.) Understanding Relations Between Scripts: The Aegean Writing Systems, Oxford (Oxbow), ch. 3. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/11612879/Decorte_R_P_J_E_2017_Cretan_Hieroglyphic_and_the_Nature_of_Script_in_Steele_P_M_ed_Understanding_Relations_Between_Scripts_The_Aegean_Writing_Systems_33_56_Oxford_Oxbow

(Sept. 13, 2022)

Bottom image is the green cat seal translated at the top of the page.

Image from: Decorte, R. P-J. E. (2017) ‘Cretan Hieroglyphic and the Nature of Script’ in Steele, P. M. (ed.) Understanding Relations Between Scripts: The Aegean Writing Systems, Oxford (Oxbow), ch. 3. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/11612879/Decorte_R_P_J_E_2017_Cretan_Hieroglyphic_and_the_Nature_of_Script_in_Steele_P_M_ed_Understanding_Relations_Between_Scripts_The_Aegean_Writing_Systems_33_56_Oxford_Oxbow