Examples of Cypro-Minoan script (CM) were discovered starting in the early 1930s. These included several potmarks found in 1937 at
Kourion on the southwest coast of Cyprus. An unusual find was copper ingots recovered in 1960 from a Bronze Age shipwreck by
underwater archaeologists near
Cape Gelidonya. Most of the ingots were marked with what are believed to be CM signs. In addition to the following it has also been suggested that there are CM signs on several
cylinder seals.
Tablets The earliest known CM inscription of any real length was a
clay tablet discovered in 1955 at the ancient site of
Enkomi, near the east coast of Cyprus. It was dated to , and bore three lines of writing. A number of other tablets were subsequently found including H-1885 (CM 0) which contained 23 signs and is dated to LC IB. Several CM tablets were excavated at
Ugarit in the 1950s, (RASH Atab 001 = RS 17.06), (RASH Atab 004 = RS 20.25, Aegean area), and one surface find (RS 17.006, Residential Quarter). Two tablet fragments were also found (RASH Atab 002 = RS 19.01) and (RASH Atab 003 = RS 19.0). In total, eight full or partial tablets have been found with the three found at Enkomi, totaling over 2,000 signs, making up a significant part of the known CM corpus.
Vessels CM signs, usually ranging in number from one to four, are found on various types of vessels and are usually referred to as potmarks. These marks have also been found on structure walls. Three examples emerged at
Tiryns, a large painted jug (TIRY Avas 002) with 4 signs, a clay boule (TIRY Abou 001) with 3 signs, and a Canaanite amphora (2 signs). In 2022 fragments recovered in the earlier excavations were joined to partially assemble another Canaanite jar (TIRY Avas 001) with 2 signs on one handle (already published) and one on the other handle (new). CM signs were found on stirrup cups in Cannatello, Sicily. A number of potmarks were found on bronze bowls dated to the Late Cypriote III period () on Cyprus as well as on one silver bowl found at
Ugarit. Eighteen potmarks, incised after firing, on jar handles (along with one
ostracon bearing about 8 signs) were found at
Ashkelon. The ostracon dated to the 11th century BC, fifteen of the handles dated to the late Iron I period and the other three handles to the Late Bronze Age. Forty two potmarks were found on vessels in
Kouklia at the site of
Old Paphos in western Cyprus. All but one were on handles with the remaining potmark on a rim. Thirty two of the marks are or include numerals. Other potmarks have been found at
the Bamboula site, part of
the Kition archaeological sites on Cyprus. Small numbers of CM potmarks have been found throughout the trading range. A compendium of known potmarks was assembled in 1974.
Clay balls . About 92 small clay balls measuring in diameter, each bearing 3–5 signs in CM, have been uncovered at Enkomi and Kition. Small quantities of CM inscribed clay balls have been found through the trading range including at
Tiryns in Greece and
Hala Sultan Tekke on Cyprus.
Clay cylinders Three legible clay cylinders (#100, #101, #102) were found in the late 1960s at Kalavassos-Ayios Dimitrios, some of which bear lengthy texts of over 100 signs, along with the debris of other cylinders. It is likely that the balls and cylinders are related to the keeping of economic records on Minoan Cyprus, considering the large number of cross-references between the texts. The longest legible Cypro-Minoan inscription is on a cylinder (19.10 = ##097 ENKO Arou 001) found at
Enkomi in 1967 with 217 signs, dated to the Late Cypriot IIA–B period (14th century BC). In total, six cylinders have now been found, one at
Enkomi and five at Kalavassos-Ayios Dimitrios. ==Decipherment==