The race to decode a mysterious language - Susan Lupack
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In the early 1900s, archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans uncovered nearly 3,000 tablets inscribed with strange symbols. He thought the script, dubbed Linear B, represented the Minoan language, while others came up with their own theories. Was it the lost language of the Etruscans? Or an early form of Basque? Its meaning would elude scholars for 50 years. Susan Lupack explores the mysterious inscriptions.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Susan Lupack
- Director Gavin Edwards
- Narrator Bethany Cutmore-Scott
- Art Director Gavin Edwards
- Storyboard Artist Gavin Edwards
- Animator Gavin Edwards
- Compositor Gavin Edwards
- Music Stephen LaRosa
- Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
- Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
- Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
- Script Editor Soraya Field Fiorio
- Fact-Checker Madeleine I. Stevens
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Why do you think it took over fifty years for Linear B to be deciphered?
Comments are closed on this discussion.
Ivi Wan
Lesson in progress
Since it's really hard to deciphered a language from totally different culture background. The rules might be totally dramatically varied.
Monika Gothica
Lesson completed
Because the decipher started from scratc
Harry Connerty
Lesson completed
I think it took over fifty years for linear B to be deciphered because it took over a year to destroy it.
LAUREN FOX
Lesson completed
I think It was because it was hard to decipher and the people studying it kept dying.
Elaine Guo
Lesson completed
It took 50 years for linear B to be deciphered because no-one knew much about the background at all.
JOSE ROBERTO MOCTEZUMA IBARRA
Lesson in progress
Because there was not any reference or similar lenguage from they could have based their studies
NingNing Yang
Lesson completed
It took fifty years to decipher because Evans kept the tablet closely to himself and only two hundred were published, also because professors would have to start from scratch, without any background.
Nella Galindo
Lesson completed
It took 50 years to decipher Linear B because they were the first ones to faced a language had never seen for anybody, and it was so difficult to decipher symbols that they have never imagined it existed,no background or any idea
minseo kim
Lesson in progress
It took 50 years to interpret liner B because there was no background about the language at all.
Sumedh Mahangade
Lesson completed
It took 50 years to decipher, because there was no background about the language at all!The only thing that was found was that it was a language.This means that anybody who tried to decode the language, had to literally start from scratch.Also, there was World War ll going on at the time, which made it difficult for professors such as Alice Kober, and architects such as Michael Ventris to completely concentrate on what they were being taught.I also believe that Sir Arthur Evans guarded/hid the the tablets for years, before coming to a realization that he himself could not decipher the code.That is why I think Linear B took more than 50 years to be deciphered.But because we humans learn from our mistakes, Linear A could be deciphered in less than 50 years, in contrast to Linear B.It is important to understand what the language talks about, and what the background of the language even is about.If Sir Arthur Evans didn’t find all of the tablets, the language would be impossible to decode!
