The Decipherment of Linear B Quotes

“Cryptography is a science of deduction and controlled experiment; hypotheses are formed, tested and often discarded. But the residue which passes the test grows until finally there comes a point when the experimenter feels solid ground beneath his feet: his hypotheses cohere, and fragments of sense emerge from their camouflage. The code 'breaks'. Perhaps this is best defined as the point when the likely leads appear faster than they can be followed up. It is like the initiation of a chain-reaction in atomic physics; once the critical threshold is passed, the reaction propagates itself.”
― John Chadwick, The Decipherment of Linear B

“There is an obvious resemblance between an unreadable script and a secret code; similar methods can be employed to break both. But the differences must not be overlooked. The code is deliberately designed to baffle the investigator; the script is only puzzling by accident. The language underlying the coded text is ordinarily known; in the case of a script there are three separate possibilities. The language may be known or partially known”
― John Chadwick, The Decipherment of Linear B

“In 1940 a new name appears for the first time in the literature of the subject: Michael Ventris”
― John Chadwick, The Decipherment of Linear B

“With the amateur’s faith and enthusiasm Schliemann set out”
― John Chadwick, The Decipherment of Linear B