Michael Ventris

Michael Ventris
Born
Michael George Francis Ventris

(1922-07-12)12 July 1922
Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, England
Died6 September 1956(1956-09-06) (aged 34)
Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England
EducationArchitectural Association School of Architecture
OccupationArchitect
Known forDecipherment of Linear B
Spouse(s)Lois "Betty" Ventris (née Knox-Niven, 1920–87)
Children2
RelativesFrancis Ventris (grandfather)
Awards

Michael George Francis Ventris, OBE (/ˈvɛntrɪs/; 12 July 1922 – 6 September 1956) was an English architect, classicist and philologist who deciphered Linear B,[1] the ancient Mycenaean Greek script. A student of languages, Ventris had pursued decipherment as a personal vocation since his adolescence. After creating a new field of study, Ventris died in a car crash a few weeks before the publication of Documents in Mycenaean Greek, written with John Chadwick.

  1. ^ "Cracking the code: the decipherment of Linear B 60 years on". University of Cambridge. 13 October 2012.