Dechiffrements / Decipherments

In 1822 Jean-Francois Champollion deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs and opened the door to a new discipline - egyptology. If Champollion's achievement still captures the imagination today, it is perhaps because he is the most emblematic of all those who might be called 'the decipherers'. However, he is not the only person who has managed to decipher a forgotten script; many have tried to pierce the mysteries of writing systems handed down by ancient cultures, but only a handful have been successful in their research. But how does one tackle a script about which all has been forgotten, when one does not know the system being used, not even the language transcribed? From Jean-Jacques Barthelemy to Michael Ventris via Jean-Francois Champollion, this book revisits the most significant of the decipherers as well as the methods used to reveal the inner workings of forgotten writing. The authors also look at current studies and the advances made in understanding Mayan, Meroitic and Linear Elamite. Additionally, they address the difficulties posed by certain scripts that have not yet been deciphered or those whose language is today unknown.