# Jan Best · Person

> Dutch ancient historian and protohistorian at the University of Amsterdam (1941 to 2023) who proposed a decipherment of the Byblos bronze tablets in 2008…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/records/FIG0DEDJ7FPN0K6/jan-best  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
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[People](https://mysteriesdept.com/people)Jan Best

Person · in 1 mystery

# Jan Best

Dutch ancient historian and protohistorian at the University of Amsterdam (1941 to 2023) who proposed a decipherment of the Byblos bronze tablets in 2008 to 2010, built on his earlier readings of Cretan Hieroglyphic and Linear A and reading the texts as a Semitic temple dedication to the sun god Shuraya. **1941–2023.**

[The Byblos syllabary](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary)[1 event][2 sources]

Jan Best is dutch ancient historian, University of Amsterdam; proposed the 2008-2010 Byblos decipherment (1941–2023), and appears in the record of Byblos syllabary as dutch ancient historian and protohistorian at the University of Amsterdam (1941 to 2023) who proposed a decipherment of the Byblos bronze tablets in 2008 to 2010, built on his earlier readings of Cretan Hieroglyphic and Linear A and reading the texts as a Semitic temple dedication to the sun god Shuraya.

One event on the site involves Best: Jan Best reads tablets c and d as a Semitic temple dedication to the sun god Shuraya (2008).

One question rest in part on what Best did or said, among them “What language do the Byblos pseudo-hieroglyphic inscriptions record?”, which stands open: 6 answers, none ahead.

Written from the site's records. [Improve it](https://mysteriesdept.com/developers)

## In the mysteries

**The Byblos syllabary**

1 event

[The mystery ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary)

[What language do the Byblos pseudo-hieroglyphic inscriptions record?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/questions/QST0DEDQPQYVGBW/what-language-do-the-byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-inscriptions)Open: 6 answers, none ahead

## What Jan Best did 1

2008[Jan Best reads tablets c and d as a Semitic temple dedication to the sun god Shuraya](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/events/EVT0DEDMVDB984T/jan-best-reads-tablets-c-and-d-as-a-semitic-temple)

## Sources 2

[Breaking the Code of the Byblos Script](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDG4KS0FJY/breaking-the-code-of-the-byblos-script)

SRC

[How to Decipher the Byblos Script](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDG5T4PDHZ/how-to-decipher-the-byblos-script)

SRC

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). Jan Best [Person FIG0DEDJ7FPN0K6]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/FIG0DEDJ7FPN0K6
```

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Key

**FIG** 0DEDJ7FPN0K6

Record

Person

Born

1941-08-29

Died

2023-01-19

Occupation

ancient historian, decipherer

Identity

Dutch ancient historian, University of Amsterdam; proposed the 2008-2010 Byblos decipherment

Version

1

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

[ Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2092633)

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The record

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