TED-Ed: The race to decode a mysterious language | Susan Lupack

In the early 1900s, Sir Arthur Evans discovered Linear B tablets in Crete, believing they represented the Minoan language. Despite Evans' efforts, the script remained undeciphered until Alice Kober and Michael Ventris made significant progress. Kober's analysis of symbol frequencies laid the groundwork, while Ventris' comparison with Cypriot script revealed Linear B as Greek. This discovery overturned previous beliefs about Minoan and Greek interactions. However, the Minoan language, represented by Linear A, remains undeciphered.

What did Sir Arthur Evans initially believe about the Linear B script?

• It was an early form of Latin.

• It was a form of ancient Greek.

• It was the language of the Etruscans.

• It represented the Minoan language.

What was one of Alice Kober's key findings about Linear B?

• It was used for religious texts.

• It was identical to Linear A.

• It relied on word endings for grammar.

• It was a pictographic script.

How did Michael Ventris make a breakthrough in deciphering Linear B?

• By translating it into Latin.

• By finding a Rosetta Stone equivalent.

• By comparing it to the Cypriot syllabary.

• By using modern Greek as a reference.

What did the decipherment of Linear B reveal about the language it represented?

• It was a lost language of the Etruscans.

• It was a precursor to modern English.

• It was an early form of Greek.

• It was a dialect of Latin.

What historical misconception was corrected by the decipherment of Linear B?

• Linear B was used for religious purposes.

• Linear B was a form of Linear A.

• The Minoans were the first to use a syllabary.

• The Minoans had conquered the mainland Greeks.