AI Meets Lost Languages: Can Machine Learning Decipher Linear A and Etruscan?
Deciphering ancient languages like Linear A and Etruscan has baffled linguists for centuries. A recent attempt used AI to test a hypothesis that Linear A is a Semitic language, but the AI did not generate the idea itself.
Every ancient language deciphered so far has relied on a bilingual text or a known relative. Linear A, from Minoan Crete, has neither, making it a 'language isolate.' Etruscan has a partial vocabulary but its grammar remains elusive. In June 2026, a self-taught AI engineer and amateur linguist claimed a breakthrough on Linear A, starting from a guess that a word in a prayer inscription derived from a Semitic root meaning 'to dwell.' He used AI scripts to test sound patterns against the Linear A corpus, assigning values to 40 signs and compiling a 408-word lexicon, suggesting Linear A is an extinct Semitic language. The AI did not have the original idea; the engineer did.
- Abbreviations
- Linear A — Линейное письмо А
- Etruscan — этрусский язык
Source: Ars Technica —
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