Linear A, the writing system of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization on the Greek island of Crete, has neither. Linear A is described as a “language isolate” because it has no confirmed link to any known language, living or dead. Etruscan, a language of Italy that was used before the rise of the Roman Empire, has fared only slightly better. Both languages are exactly the kind of puzzle that AI has recently been pulled into—not by replacing the linguists, but by supercharging their hunches. In June 2026, a self-taught AI engineer and amateur linguist claimed a breakthrough on Linear A.