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Writing Systems Technical Resources

Cypro-Minoan

Cypro-Minoan clay tablet from Enkomi, Cyprus (see Use & History)

Script details

See all script details: code, region, status and more
Code Cpmn
Script type syllabary
Region European
Status Historical
Direction LTR
Baseline unspecified
Case unknown
White space unspecified
Complex behaviors
OpenType code cpmn
ISO 15924 Numeric Code / Key 402 (syllabic)

Explanation of script details

Script description

The Cypro-Minoan script was a logosyllabary used on the island of Cyprus around 1500-1100 BC.

Read the full description…It has not yet been deciphered. The name of the script reflects the possibilities that it derived from a Minoan script, such as Linear A on Minoan Crete, and is ancestral to the Cypriot script. More recently the theory that the script was brought to Cyprus by Minoan colonizers has been called into question, due to substantial differences between this script and Linear A.

Around 250 items have been discovered with Cypro-Minoan inscriptions, such as clay balls, tablets and vases. The script appears to have been mostly written from left to right, although some examples of right-to-left and boustrophedon inscriptions have been found. Most of the signs are thought to be phonographic, each sign representing a sound.

Languages that use this script

There are no known languages that use this script.

Unicode status

In The Unicode Standard, Cypro-Minoan script implementation is discussed in Chapter 8 Europe-II — Ancient and Other Scripts.

Resources