- published: 16 Apr 2013
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Sir Arthur John Evans FRS (8 July 1851 – 11 July 1941) was a British archaeologist most famous for unearthing the palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete and for developing the concept of Minoan civilization from the structures and artifacts found there and elsewhere throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Evans was the first to define Cretan scripts Linear A and Linear B, as well as an earlier pictographic writing.
Along with Heinrich Schliemann, Evans was a pioneer in the study of Aegean civilization in the Bronze Age. The two men knew of each other. Evans visited Schliemann's sites. Schliemann had planned to excavate at Knossos, but died before fulfilling that dream. Evans bought the site and stepped in to take charge of the project, which was then still in its infancy. He continued Schliemann's concept of Mycenaean civilization but soon found that he needed to distinguish another civilization, the Minoan.
In addition to his archaeological contributions, Evans fulfilled a role in the British Empire for which there is no proper word in formal English. Although he was not a professional statesman or soldier, and was probably never a paid agent of the government, he nevertheless negotiated or played a role in negotiating unofficially with foreign powers in the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire, and subsequently the Turkish Republic, recognized this role, according to him informally the status of an ambassador. He was, on request of the revolutionary organizations of the peoples of the Balkans, a significant player in the formation of the now-defunct nation of Yugoslavia. That nation sent representatives to his funeral in 1941. This role was one outcome of the informal network of associations created by the 19-century British educational system, of which Arthur was, so to speak, a charter member.
Actors: Jack Davenport (actor), Queen Elizabeth II (actress), Franny Moyle (producer), Sam Baron (actor), Oliver Cox (actor), Robin Dashwood (producer), Robin Dashwood (director), Antonietta Cauteruccio (miscellaneous crew), John Chadwick (actor), Robert Nisbet (actor), Sophie Garner (actress), Hannah Beckerman (producer), Michael Ventris (actor), Lynden Edwards (actor), Arthur Evans (actor),
Plot: "A Very English Genius" is a documentary telling the story of how Michael Ventris became obsessed with the quest of cracking the earliest known writing system, Linear B, which originated in Greece. The documentary begins with his introduction to the ancient script, on a school trip to a museam, continues through his endeavours to crack the language, and ends with his unexplained death, providing various theories to what exactly caused his final demise.
Keywords: linearActors: Benson Fong (actor), Ralph Brooks (actor), Frank Cady (actor), Howard Da Silva (actor), John Dierkes (actor), Philip Carey (actor), Jack Chefe (actor), Jonathan Hale (actor), Alvin Hammer (actor), Tom Hanlon (actor), Jerry Hausner (actor), Robert Karnes (actor), Maurice Marsac (actor), Ralph Peters (actor), Shepperd Strudwick (actor),
Plot: When a recently deceased playboy gets to heaven and is granted one wish--granted to all newcomers--he requests that he be able to see the reactions of three husbands, with whom he regularly played poker, to a letter he left each of them claiming to have had an affair with each's wife.
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