HOW A SEARCHABLE DATABASE IS HELPING DECIPHER A LOST LANGUAGE

[Judi Lynn]

A cryptographer “solved” Minoan B from ancient Cretan culture in the 1950s but Minoan A remained a mystery until recently

NEWS MAY 21, 2021

There was once a flourishing civilization on the island of Crete called the Minoan culture (3000–11100 B.C.). Two languages are associated with it, Minoan A and, later, Minoan B. Minoan B was deciphered but Minoan A has remained a mystery that has “tormented linguists for many decades,” as Patricia Klaus puts it. Deciphering it would give us a window back as far as 1800 BC.:

Linear A, which was used by the Minoans during the Bronze Age, exists on at least 1,400 known inscriptions made on clay tablets. The language has baffled the world’s top archaeologists and linguistic experts for many years.

PATRICIA CLAUS, “MINOAN LANGUAGE LINEAR A LINKED TO LINEAR B IN GROUNDBREAKING NEW RESEARCH” AT GREEK REPORTER (MAY 13, 2021)

So most of what we know is simply the many works of art and architecture they left to posterity:

Sometimes, we can break codes if we make fresh assumptions. For example, in 1952, cryptographer Michael Ventris (1922–1956) broke broke Minoan B, which was used on Crete after 1400 B.C., by making two key new assumptions: Many repeated words were place names on the island and the language was an early variant of Greek. Both those assumptions turned out to be correct when tested.

More:
https://mindmatters.ai/2021/05/how-a-searchable-database-is-helping-decipher-a-lost-language/

[WhiteTara]

1. Thanks Judi Lynn!

You come up with the best and most fascinating stories.

[Judi Lynn]

2. White Tara, thank you! It's a surprise to me every time I stumble across them!

It's because of the "series of tubes" Republican Senator Ted Stevens told us about. Without it, it would take hundreds of years to collect this information, maybe thousands!

❤️️ Thank you.

[WhiteTara]

3. The tubes are definitely an asset to learning!

Our world is such an infinitely interesting place.

Thanks again for giving me new thought!