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https://greekreporter.com/2022/04/20/minoan-language-linear-a-linear-b/
The Minoan language known as "Linear A" may finally be deciphered with the help of the internet which can be used to uncover previously-hidden links to the much-better understood Linear B language. Linear B developed later in the prehistoric period.
The puzzle of Linear A has tormented linguists for many decades, as they attempted to link it somehow to Linear B, which was translated successfully for the first time in the 1950s. Linear B was used on the Greek mainland and Crete 50-150 years later than Linear A.
Understanding the link between them and decoding the secrets of Linear A would allow experts to paint a much more complete picture of Minoan civilization going back as far as 1,800 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.
Professor Tim Whitmarsh, the A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture and Fellow of St. John's, had high praise for Salgarella's work and said that "cracking Linear B was a huge post-war triumph for Classics, but Linear A has remained elusive."
"Dr. Salgarella has demonstrated that Linear B is closely related to its mysterious and previously illegible predecessor. She has brought us one step closer to understanding it. It's an extraordinary piece of detective work," praises Whitmarsh.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday May 20 2022, @11:27AM (2 children)
That sort of thing is in fact pretty common: It seems like the primary early use of writing was accounting and later contracts, as in "Person A owes Person B 500 sheep", that sort of thing. It took a while for anyone to think of using that technology for leisure and entertainment purposes, because it costs money to hire a decent scribe and nobody wants to do that just to write down a good story, especially if they can make a buck telling that story to audiences.
A good parallel for the modern age is to think about what information was typically being stored in computer systems from, say, 1970-1995 when computing storage was difficult and fairly expensive, versus what's being stored now when magnetic drives storing gigabytes are relatively cheap.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 20 2022, @03:50PM (1 child)
Low quality porn, and high quality porn?
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday May 20 2022, @09:53PM
You jest, but that is often what it was. I remember reading about an ancient inscription that was discovered on a boulder on top of a Greek isle not too long ago. It read (I'm paraphrasing): "Dmitri boned Phil here."
Washington DC delenda est.