An intellectual detective story follows the quest to unlock one of the great secrets of human history--the decipherment of Linear B, an unknown script from the Aegean Bronze Age.

Colored illustrations on lining papers.

Buried treasure -- The digger. The record-keepers ; The vanished key ; Love among the ruins -- The detective. American champollion ; A delightful problem ; Splitting the baby ; The matrix ; "Hurry up and deciper the thing!" -- The architect. The hollow boy ; A leap of faith ; "I know it, I know it" ; Solution, dissolution -- Mr. X and Mr. Y.