Michael Ventris

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Michael George Francis Ventris ( July 12, 1922 - September 6, 1956 ) was an English architect and linguist . Ventris deciphered in 1952 along with John Chadwick , the Linear B , one in the Mycenaean and Minoan popular culture magazine.

life and work

From an early age, Ventris was considered gifted with languages. When he met Arthur Evans , the discoverer of the Minoan culture, at the age of 14 and learned that the writing "Linear B" had not yet been deciphered, he showed great interest in it. At the age of 18, he sent an article to a professional journal that was published criticizing existing translations. Ventris worked as a navigator for the Royal Air Force and then completed a degree in architecture. In addition to his professional activity, he always dealt with Linear B. By a radio broadcast in the third program of the BBC , in which Ventris spoke on July 3, 1952 about Linear B , John Chadwick became aware of Ventris.

By deciphering the Linear B, Ventris and Chadwick proved in 1956 that the language recorded with it was the oldest known Greek dialect. Ventris and Chadwick relied on their decipherment on the character set introduced by Emmett Leslie Bennett and the index card system "Kobertriplets" by Alice Kober , which records all characters of Linear B with different endings.

Michael Ventris died on September 6, 1956 at the age of 34 as a result of a traffic accident.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jörg Weilhartner: Michael Ventris - Die Entzifferung von Linear B, in: Mykene, The legendary world of Agamemnon, ISBN 978-3-937345-90-1 , 2018, p. 48
  2. ↑ Werner Ekschmitt : The controversy about Linear B, Beck 1969, p. 120
  3. ↑ Jörg Weilhartner: Michael Ventris - Die Entzifferung von Linear B, in: Mykene, The legendary world of Agamemnon, ISBN 978-3-937345-90-1 , 2018, p. 48

literature

  • John Chadwick : The Decipherment of Linear B. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1958, (2nd edition. Ibid. 1990, ISBN 0-521-39830-4 ).
  • Margalit Fox: The riddle of the labyrinth. The quest to crack ancient code and the uncovering of a lost civilization. Profile Books, London 2013, ISBN 978-1-78125-132-4 ( About the Book ).
  • Andrew Robinson: The Man who deciphered Linear B. The Story of Michael Ventris. Thames & Hudson, London 2002, ISBN 0-500-51077-6 .
personal data
SURNAME Ventris, Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ventris, Michael George Francis (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British linguist
DATE OF BIRTH July 12, 1922
DATE OF DEATH September 6, 1956