VENTRIS, MICHAEL


Meaning of VENTRIS, MICHAEL in English

v.

born July 12, 1922, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, Eng.

died Sept. 6, 1956, near Hatfield, Hertfordshire

British architect and cryptographer.

At age 14 he heard a lecture on the continuing mystery of Linear B script (see Linear A and Linear B ) and resolved to decipher it. In 1952 he determined that Linear B was Greek in its oldest known form, dating from 0441; 1400–1200 BC. He collaborated with John Chadwick (1920–98) on Documents in Mycenaean Greek (1956), published a few weeks after his own death in an auto accident.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.