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Apollo

Codebreakers and Groundbreakers

Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

NOW CLOSED

From breaking the Enigma Codes to the Decipherment of Linear B

This interdisciplinary exhibition explores the world of codebreaking, cryptography and deciphering ancient script, from 1500 BC to the present day, through the lives of those who broke the codes. The remarkable achievements of two groups of ‘codebreakers’ will be presented together for the first time; the figures involved in breaking the World War II codes (Alan Turing and Bill Tutte) alongside Michael Ventris and John Chadwick, who deciphered the Linear B script, Europe’s earliest comprehensible writing system. The exhibition illustrates for the first time the interdisciplinary landscape that was crucial in deciphering both codes and ancient languages, encompassing the areas of classics, ancient history, archaeology, mathematics, computer science and linguistics. Find out more about the ‘Codebreakers and Groundbreakers’ exhibition from the Fitzwilliam Museum’s website.

Preview the exhibition below | See Apollo’s Picks of the Week here

Large Typex machine. Crown copyright

Large Typex machine. Crown copyright

Enigma machine. Crown copyright

Enigma machine. Crown copyright

Crown copyright

Crown copyright

Crown copyright

Crown copyright

Courtesy of the Fitzwilliam Museum

Event website