In 1908, Luigi Pernier found Crete’s Phaistos Disc with 241 stamped signs. 118 years later, its 45-symbol script remains undeciphered despite more than a century of study

The Phaistos Disc is one of the most enigmatic artefacts associated with the Minoan civilization. Discovered by Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier at Phaistos on July 3, 1908, the 16-centimeter clay disc carries an unusual spiral inscription stamped on both sides. Its signs include images of people, birds, plants and ships, while archaeological research has identified similarities between some symbols and motifs found on Phaistian pottery and sealings. Studies have placed the disc around the beginning of the Neopalatial period...