Linear A Sign A556

A556 is a sign label; no reading is known as of 2026.

In the GORILA catalogue, 𐛠 is labeled A556. Linear A was used to write Minoan, the language of ancient Crete. The catalog number identifies a written form; it does not supply a sound or translation.

Linear A appears in administrative records on clay tablets, small clay nodules and roundels (small clay discs) used to track goods, people and other information. It also appears on objects dedicated as offerings and on stone vessels. Tablet PH 3a from Phaistos on Crete, assigned to Middle Minoan III, lists A556 among commodity-related forms; that context does not settle its reading.

Is A556 the wool sign?

No. The wool proposal concerns A559, not A556.

A textile study proposes wool for A559, a different sign formed by combining AB080 and AB026. It points to quantities and textile evidence around A559; those clues do not establish a reading for A556.

Linear A has graphic links with Cretan Hieroglyphic, another script used on Crete. Linear B later adapted Linear A to write Mycenaean Greek. These connections allow cautious script comparisons; they do not translate A556.

Why does 𐛠 look different?

Its strokes can vary from font to font.

𐛠 is a text character, so its visible shape comes from the font drawing it. A font without Linear A coverage may show a missing-glyph box or replacement mark; that changes the display, not the character.

As of 2026, Noto Sans Linear A is one documented font with coverage for Linear A.