Michael Ventris was born as the only child into a traditional army family to Edward Francis Vereker Ventris, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army, and Anna Dorothea Janasz, the daughter of a wealthy immigrant landholder from Poland. He designed schools for the Ministry of Education. The Ventris Papers were given to the Institute in 1988, following the death of Lois Ventris (Michael’s widow) in 1988. Tragically, Michael Ventris died in a car accident on 6 September 1956, aged only 34. A student of languages, Ventris had pursued the decipherment as a … Omissions? Boys from Stowe school were in attendance at one lecture and tour conducted by Evans himself at age 85. The Man Who Deciphered Linear B: The Story of Michael Ventris - Kindle edition by Robinson, Andrew. ed., 1973) was published a few weeks after Ventris’ death in an auto accident, and Chadwick’s The Decipherment of Linear B (1958; 2nd ed., 1968) followed. The Ventris Papers were given to the Institute in 1988, following the death of Lois Ventris (Michael’s widow) in 1988. A few years after deciphering Linear B in 1951–1953, Ventris, who lived in Hampstead, died instantly in a late-night collision with a parked truck while driving home, aged 34. In 1953 they published their historic paper, “Evidence for Greek Dialect in the Mycenaean Archives.” Their Documents in Mycenaean Greek (1956; rev. It is widely acknowledged that his discovery was the more remarkable because he was not a professional scholar. Michael VentrisOn this page we discuss the stunning achievement of Michael Ventris (1922-1956), who single-handedly deciphered Linear B.This was no mean achievement, as there was nothing upon which he could posit his decipherment.No-one in the history of decipherment ever equalled Michael Ventris' genius for cracking unknown ancient languages.Richard … At the beginning of the 20th century, archaeologist Arthur Evans began excavating an ancient site at Knossos, on the island of Crete. That's it. You could also do it yourself at any point in time. Michael George Francis Ventris, OBE (12 July 1922 – 6 September 1956) was an English linguist and architect who, along with John Chadwick and Alice Kober, deciphered Linear B, a previously unknown ancient script discovered at Knossos by Arthur Evans. References and Further Reading: He decided on architecture as a career, and enrolled in the Architectural Association School of Architecture. Michael Ventris, in full Michael George Francis Ventris, (born July 12, 1922, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, Eng.—died Sept. 6, 1956, near Hatfield, Hertfordshire), English architect and cryptographer who in 1952 deciphered the Minoan Linear B script and showed it to be Greek in its oldest known form, dating from about 1400 to 1200 bc, roughly the period of the events narrated in the Homeric epics. [4][5] After the conclusion of the war he served out the rest of his term on the ground in Germany, for which he was chosen because of his knowledge of Russian. In 1956 Ventris, who lived in Hampstead, died instantly in a late-night collision in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, with a parked truck while driving home, aged 34. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Michael was born in 1605. In 1949, following architectural studies that had been interrupted by service in the Royal Air Force during World War II, he began searching in earnest for the key to Linear B. Part of his schooling was spent at Gstaad, where he picked up the local Swiss German as well as standard German and French. Everyone would agree that Michael Ventris’ decipherment of Linear B is one of the great moments of decipherment in the twentieth century. Michael Ventris was their only child. These awards, given to young Linear B scholars and architects, continue to the present day, under the auspices of the London … A student of languages, Ventris had pursued the decipherment as a personal vocation since his adolescence. 121875842, citing Welford Road Cemetery, Leicester, Leicester Unitary Authority, Leicestershire, England ; Maintained by julia&keld (contributor 46812479) . He was awarded an OBE in 1955 for "services to Mycenaean paleography. He never spoke of her, assuming instead an ebullient and energetic manner in whatever he decided to do, a trait which won him numerous friends. Michael Fentriss, 1605 - 1654 Michael Fentriss 1605 1654. Her social background was similar to Ventris's: her family was well-to-do, she had travelled in Europe, and she was interested in architecture. This is, as far as I can tell, the only biography of Michael Ventris. It is a shame we don't know more about Ventris, his war service and his sad death, but I'm not sure anyone will ever be able to throw more light on his life. This book combines information about Michael Ventris with enough explanation of the deciphering of Linear B to give the general reader some sense of what Ventris achieved. ); studied Latin and Greek at school; studied architecture in London; after World War II was an architect and … Genealogy profile for Michael Ventress Michael Ventress (1816 - 1882) - Genealogy Genealogy for Michael Ventress (1816 - 1882) family tree on Geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. [8] Ventris and his wife had two children, a son, Nikki (1942–1984) and a daughter, Tessa (born 1946). Michael Ventris. He soon was fluent in both languages and showing proficiency for Swiss German. This proved to be correct. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. 76 Squadron RAF, initially at RAF Breighton and then at RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor. Elizabeth Jane Chandler (born Ventris) was born on month day 1860, at birth place, Kansas, to John Bennett Ventris and Barbara Ellen Ventris (born Rees). [10], An English Heritage blue plaque commemorates Ventris at his home in Hampstead.[11]. A prodigy in languages, Ventris had pursued the decipherment as an avocation since his teen-age years. After her death, the architect Michael Ventris built on Kober's work and with some inspired guesses deciphered the script in 1952, establishing that it was Mycenaean Greek. In 1940, the 18-year-old Ventris had an article "Introducing the Minoan Language" published in the American Journal of Archaeology. With Lynden Edwards, Sam Baron, Jack Davenport, Judy Cowne. The story begins in 1900, when Sir Arthur Evans, while excavating at Knossos in Crete, where he becomes convinced that he has discovered the palace of king minos. The money for her artistic patronage came from Polish estates. The archive comprises personal correspondence and papers, drawings, photographs, and other memorabilia, as well as selected offprints and newspaper cuttings relating to the Michael VentrisOn this page we discuss the stunning achievement of Michael Ventris (1922-1956), who single-handedly deciphered Linear B.This was no mean achievement, as there was nothing upon which he could posit his decipherment.No-one in the history of decipherment ever equalled Michael Ventris' genius for cracking unknown ancient … Corrections? The documentary begins with his introduction to the ancient script, on a … [3] He did not do outstanding work there - by then he was spending most of his spare time learning as much as he could about Linear B, some of his study time being spent under the covers at night with a flashlight. Hosted by AA Membership, this talk is part of an ongoing series of lectures organised by the AA Library, Photo Library and Archives to promote the AA’s collections and … Armed with the symbols he could decipher from this, Ventris soon unlocked much text and determined that the underlying language of Linear B was in fact Greek. Shortly after Evans died, Alice Kober noted that certain words in Linear B inscriptions had changing word endings — perhaps declensions in the manner of Latin or Greek. Michael George Francis Ventris, OBE (12 July 1922 – 6 September 1956) was an English architect who, along with John Chadwick and Alice Kober, deciphered Linear B, a previously unknown ancient script discovered at Knossos by Arthur Evans. Edward Ventris married Anna Dorothea Janasz (Dora), who was from a wealthy Jewish Polish paternal background. At the age of six he learnt Polish.At seven he read a German … The source code for the WIKI 2 extension is being checked by specialists of the Mozilla Foundation, Google, and Apple. In 1936, Evans hosted an exhibition on Cretan archaeology at Burlington House in London, home of the Royal Academy. She was also popular and considered very beautiful. Michael George Francis Ventris, OBE (/ ˈ v ɛ n t r ɪ s /; 12 July 1922 – 6 September 1956) was an English linguist and architect who, along with John Chadwick and Alice Kober, deciphered Linear B, a previously unknown ancient script discovered at Knossos by Arthur Evans.A prodigy in languages, Ventris had pursued the decipherment as a vocation since his adolescence. However, Ventris would not enjoy his success for long, for later in 1956, he died in a car accident, aged just 34. Directed by Robin Dashwood. Ventris did not complete his architecture studies, being conscripted in 1942. He chose the Royal Air Force (RAF). The book covers it all, from his childhood, through his World War II service and early family life, to the days of the decipherment and finally his disillusionment with the subject and early death in … As a boy, Ventris was fascinated with the classics, and much of his early education was of an [3] Then he came home to complete his architectural education with honours in 1948[7] and settled down with Lois working as an architect. Other articles where John Chadwick is discussed: Michael Ventris: …thereafter by the Cambridge linguist John Chadwick, they assembled dramatic evidence supporting Ventris’ theory. Evans held up tablets of the unknown scripts for the audience to see. British architect who deciphered Linear B, Great Britons: Twentieth-century lives, Harold Oxbury, 1985, Fox, Margo, The Riddle of the Labyrinth, ecco, 2013, Kahn, David, The Code-Breakers, MacMillan, 1967, Architectural Association School of Architecture, "Cracking the code: the decipherment of Linear B 60 years on", "Royal Air Force (Volunteer Reserve) (RAF(VR)) Officers 1939–1945", "Michael Ventris: Decipherer of Linear B", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Ventris&oldid=996496488, Royal Air Force personnel of World War II, Officers of the Order of the British Empire, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 December 2020, at 23:26. 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