John Chadwick (1) (1920–1998)

Fascinating! A brief biography and description of Ventris, a most admirable man; long descriptions of the decipherment process well written for a lay audience, an outline of such inferences regarding Mycenaean economy and culture as may be made from the limited material together with the reflexes of the age detectable in Homer; and a post-script hinting at progress in the succeeding 25 years. Especially interesting for the sketch of the fierceness of academic classics studies in the first half of the 20th c.… (mehr)

Interesting! I knew, vaguely, that someone had figured out how to read the clay tablets found in various areas of Greece and vicinity. This book gives the details. Honestly, it seems to have been as much luck as anything else - why did they assign those particular syllables to those signs, which when combined (and read very carefully) make words that sound like Greek? That aside, the complex process of tying symbols to meanings to syllables is fascinating, if a bit beyond me. The discussion of linguists around the world working on aspects of this (these) question(s) is interesting in itself, as well. Definitely worth reading, though I doubt I'll reread.… (mehr)