The Decipherment of Linear B

Revealing the secrets of Linear B uncovers fascinating details of an ancient civilisation.

John Chadwick (Author)

9781107691766, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 May 2014

174 pages, 20 b/w illus.
21.5 x 13.7 x 0.9 cm, 0.25 kg

Review of previous edition: '… not only an account of a startling piece of philological and archaeological research, but a simple, moving human story.' The Spectator

The languages of the ancient world and the mysterious scripts, long undeciphered, in which they were encoded have represented one of the most intriguing problems of classical archaeology in modern times. This celebrated account of the decipherment of Linear B in the 1950s by Michael Ventris was written by his close collaborator in the momentous discovery. In revealing the secrets of Linear B it offers a valuable survey of late Minoan and Mycenaean archaeology, uncovering fascinating details of the religion and economic history of an ancient civilisation.

Illustrations
Preface
1. Michael Ventris
2. The Minoan scripts
3. Hopes and failures
4. Birth of a theory
5. Growth and development
6. The decipherment and the critics
7. Life in Mycenaean Greece
8. Prospects
Postscript
Appendix
Index.

Subject Areas: Classical Greek & Roman archaeology [HDDK], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]