Linear A sign AB 85

Its exact Minoan reading is unknown.

The AB 85 pig sign is a specialist label: in livestock records, the sign is associated with SUS, a logogram (a mark standing for a recorded item). AU is a conventional syllabic label. These readings classify the sign; they do not translate a known Minoan word.

On a tablet, neighboring signs and the document's purpose help distinguish a syllabic sign from a commodity label.

Where did 𐙄 come from?

It belongs to an evolving Cretan writing tradition.

Linear A first appears by the end of the nineteenth century BCE. Seals from Archanes may preserve earlier examples, though they are usually classified as Cretan Hieroglyphic. Its last known use is on a terracotta figurine around 1350 BCE.

AB 85 occurs on tablet HT 118. Linear A records tracked goods and livestock; other inscriptions appear on offering tables, cult objects, and funerary objects, often in formulaic texts interpreted as religious. Palaeographic comparison supports a link between AB 85 and Cretan Hieroglyphic. Linear B later adapted much of Linear A's sign repertoire.

What if someone sends 𐙄?

Read it as a historical reference unless the sender explains more.

As of 2026, 𐙄 has no established everyday chat reading. A sender may have a personal use, but the sign alone cannot tell you that; “pig” is only a specialist sign-list gloss.