Decipherment is the analysis of documents written in ancient languages, where the language is unknown, or knowledge of the language has been lost.

It is closely related to cryptanalysis — the difference being that the original document was not deliberately written to be difficult to decipher. Cryptanalysis (from the Greek kryptós, hidden, and analýein, to loosen or to untie) is the study of methods for obtaining the meaning of encrypted information, without access to the secret information which is normally required to do so. ...

The term has also been used to describe the analysis of the genetic code information encoded in DNA - see the Human Genome Project article for more on this. A series of codons in part of a mRNA molecule. ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living organisms. ... // The Human Genome Project (HGP) is a project to de-code (i. ...

Some people have also used the word metaphorically to mean something like 'understanding'.

Examples of document decipherment:

• Cuneiform writing
• Egyptian hieroglyphic writing
• The Indus script found in Harappa
• Kharoshthi script
• Linear A
• Linear B
• Maya writing
• Olmec writing

Famous documents that have been the subject of actual or attempted decipherment: Cuneiform script The Cuneiform script is one of the earliest known forms of written expression. ... It has been suggested that Hieroglyph (French Wiki article) be merged into this article or section. ...   An Indus Valley seal with the seated figure termed pashupati. ... Harappa (Urdu: ہڑپا) is a city in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, about 35km (22 miles) southwest of Sahiwal. ... The Kharoṣṭhī script, also known as the Gāndhārī script, is an ancient alphabetic script used by the Gandhara culture of historic northwest India to write the Gandhari and Sanskrit languages (the Gandhara kingdom was located along the present-day border... Linear A incised on tablets found in Akrotiri, Santorini. ... This article is about the ancient syllabary. ...

• the Dresden Codex
• the Phaistos Disc
• the Rosetta Stone
• the Behistun Inscription
• the Voynich Manuscript
• the Rohonc Codex

Famous decipherers: Maya codices (singular codex) are books written by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, using the Maya hieroglyphic script. ... The Phaistos Disc (Phaistos Disk, Phaestos Disc, Greek: Δίσκος της Φαιστού) is a curious archaeological find, likely dating to the middle or late Minoan Bronze Age. ... The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum. ... The Behistun Inscription, carved into a cliffside, gives the same text in three languages, telling the story of King Darius conquests, with the names of twenty-three provinces subject to him. ... The Voynich manuscript is written in an unknown script. ... Rohonc Codex sample The Rohonc Codex (pronounce like ro-honts) is a set of writings in an unknown writing system. ...

• Michael Ventris
• Jean-François Champollion
• Georg Friedrich Grotefend
• Yuri Knorosov

[[1]] Michael George Francis Ventris (July 12, 1922–September 6, 1956) was an English architect and classical scholar, who along with John Chadwick was responsible for the decipherment of Linear B. Michael Ventris was educated in Switzerland and at Stowe School, housed in a magnificent 18th century country house. ... For the Champollion comet rendezvous spacecraft, see Champollion (spacecraft). ... Georg Friedrich Grotefend (June 9, 1775 - December 15, 1853), German epigraphist, was born at Munden in Hanover. ... Yuri Valentinovich Knorosov (Russian: Юрий Валентинович Кнорозов; b. ...

See also

• Archaeology
• Linguistics
• List of undeciphered writing systems
• List of famous ciphertexts
• Writing systems

Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek: αρχαίος, archaios, combining form in Latin archae-, ancient; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Linguistics is the scientific study of language, which can be theoretical or applied. ... See decipherment of languages and writing systems. ... Some famous ciphertexts (or cryptograms) are: The Zimmermann Telegram The Magic Words are Squeamish Ossifrage The cryptogram in The Gold Bug Beale ciphers Voynich Manuscript Dorabella Cipher Khipu Kryptos Zodiac Killer ciphers DAgapeyeff cipher Chaocipher The Shugborough House inscription See also Topics in cryptography Category:Inscriptions External links Famous... A writing system, also called a script, is used to visually record a language with symbols. ...

External links

• Ancient Languages and Scripts
• http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~fsaber1/language/MysteryCuneiform.html
• How come we can't decipher the Indus script? (from The Straight Dope)