▁about ▁the ▁underlying ▁language . ▁However , ▁its ▁use ▁continued ▁into ▁the ▁early ▁Iron ▁Age , ▁forming ▁a ▁link ▁to ▁the ▁C yp ri ot ▁sy ll ab ary , ▁which ▁has ▁been ▁de ci pher ed ▁as ▁Greek . ▁ ▁Arthur ▁Evans ▁considered ▁the ▁Cy pro - M ino an ▁sy ll ab ary ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁un inter rupted ▁evolution ▁of ▁the ▁M ino an ▁Linear ▁A ▁script . ▁He ▁believed ▁that ▁the ▁script ▁was ▁brought ▁to ▁Cy pr us ▁by ▁M ino an ▁colon izers ▁or ▁migr ants . ▁Evans ' ▁theory ▁was ▁un crit ically ▁supported ▁until ▁recently , ▁when ▁it ▁was ▁shown ▁that ▁the ▁earliest ▁Cy pro - M ino an ▁ins cri ptions ▁were ▁separated ▁from ▁the ▁earliest ▁texts ▁in ▁Linear ▁A ▁by ▁less ▁than ▁a ▁century , ▁yet ▁the ▁Cy pro - M ino an ▁script ▁at ▁its ▁earliest ▁stage ▁was ▁substantial ly ▁different ▁from ▁Linear ▁A : ▁it ▁contained ▁only ▁sy ll ab ic ▁signs ▁while ▁Linear ▁A ▁and ▁its ▁desc endant ▁Linear ▁B ▁both ▁contained ▁multiple ▁ide og rams , ▁and ▁its ▁form ▁was ▁adapted ▁to ▁writing ▁on ▁cl ay ▁while ▁Linear ▁A ▁was ▁better ▁su ited ▁to ▁writing ▁with ▁in k . ▁The ▁Linear ▁B ▁script ▁that ▁emer ged ▁a ▁century ▁later ▁still ▁retained ▁many ▁more ▁features ▁from , ▁and ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁sign ary ▁of , ▁Linear ▁A . ▁All ▁this ▁evidence ▁indicates ▁a ▁one - time ▁introduction ▁rather ▁than ▁long - time ▁development . ▁ ▁Vari eties ▁and ▁period