June 19, 2026
The script thickens
Amateur may have cracked Linear A, a 120-year-old puzzle
Internet gasps as hobbyist says he solved an ancient mystery experts couldn’t
TLDR: A self-taught engineer says he may have decoded Linear A, one of history’s longest-running language mysteries, and experts are now reviewing it. Commenters are split between cautious excitement and “we’ve seen wild claims before,” with plenty of jokes about using the trick on other unsolved texts.
The internet is having a full-on ancient language meltdown after self-taught engineer Tom Di Mino claimed he may have cracked Linear A, a writing system that has baffled experts for more than 120 years. That is the kind of claim that usually triggers instant eye-rolls, and commenters knew it. One of the strongest reactions was basically: slow down, there are lots of crackpot claims in this area. But the mood shifted because Di Mino’s work is reportedly serious enough to be reviewed by experts at Rutgers and Cambridge, and supporters say he has translated more than 300 words — which, if true, would be absolutely huge.
That tension became the real drama of the thread: genius breakthrough or just another “guy with a theory” moment? Fans were especially fascinated that the possible breakthrough came from an amateur, echoing the famous story of Linear B being cracked by an architect, not a career academic. Others zoomed in on the AI angle, wondering if this could become a bigger tool for decoding lost languages in general. One commenter basically asked the sci-fi question out loud: can this method be turned into a universal language-decoding machine?
And because this is the internet, the jokes arrived right on cue. One person immediately wanted the same superpower for the Voynich Manuscript, while another dropped a relevant xkcd like a mic. Even the most curious readers admitted the symbols look intimidating, which only added to the vibe: half awe, half suspicion, all popcorn.
Key Points
- •Tom Di Mino claims to have deciphered Linear A, a Bronze Age Minoan script that has remained unsolved for roughly 120 years.
- •According to the article, his work is being reviewed by linguistics experts at Rutgers and Cambridge.
- •Di Mino argues that Linear A encodes an extinct Semitic language related to the linguistic ancestry of biblical Hebrew.
- •The article explains that Linear A and Linear B share 60 core syllabic signs, but Linear A also has 13 additional signs not accepted in Linear B readings.
- •Di Mino’s reported breakthrough came from analyzing formulaic prayer inscriptions and interpreting the Linear A-only sign *301 as 'na,' leading to the proposed root 'nawaya' meaning 'to dwell.'