[Windcatcher]

One thing to watch for is if they find something with writing on it (Linear A?). The Greek alphabet is widely thought to have originated around the time of Homer, but it has been shown that the Greeks used other alphabets in earlier times. One is called Linear B, which was only recently deciphered and shows that, while the system of writing was totally different (much more like Egyptian hieroglyphics), the language and pronunciation were about the same. There is also another one called Linear A that is thought to precede Linear B but has never been deciphered (due to lack of adequate examples). I don't know the time frame of Linear A's use, but deciphering it could provide a valuable link between the modern Greek language and the proto-Indo-European languages.

[SunkenCiv]

Windcatcher: One thing to watch for is if they find something with writing on it (Linear A?). The Greek alphabet is widely thought to have originated around the time of Homer, but it has been shown that the Greeks used other alphabets in earlier times. One is called Linear B, which was only recently deciphered and shows that, while the system of writing was totally different (much more like Egyptian hieroglyphics), the language and pronunciation were about the same. There is also another one called Linear A that is thought to precede Linear B but has never been deciphered (due to lack of adequate examples). I don't know the time frame of Linear A's use, but deciphering it could provide a valuable link between the modern Greek language and the proto-Indo-European languages.

Some minor quibbles. Linear B was a syllabary, rather than an alphabet. It seems to have been developed from Linear A. The example texts of Linear A are less numerous than those of Linear B, and AFAIK confined to Aegean islands. There are those who claim it conceals Greek, or some Semitic language, but both of those conclusions have been rejected by most scholars. It is evident that Linear A served a population which spoke a non-Greek language, and as the model from which Linear B was developed.

Linear A is also believed to be a syllabary, with some possible logographic characters, but until it is cracked, no one knows for sure. The possibility exists that it can't be cracked until a much larger body of texts is found, in particular, bilingual or parallel inscriptions of some sort (such as the same message in Linear B and Linear A).

If the language contained by Linear A is not known (or found someday) in another, known text (such as cuneiform), then it probably won't ever be cracked. This is not to say that there have not be claims to that end. :')

Linear A is much too recent ot have any connection with proto-Indo-European languages.