"French Researcher Cracks 4,000-Year-Old Code from Iran"

PARIS — A French archaeologist has deciphered a 4,000-year-old writing system from Iran, a breakthrough some experts compare to cracking ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. François Desset succeeded in decoding Linear Elamite, a script that had baffled scholars for centuries. The writing dates to a near-forgotten age in what is now Iran. Desset's work has drawn comparisons to Jean-François Champollion, the French philologist who unlocked the secrets of Egyptian hieroglyphs in the 19th century. The findings could rewrite the history of the region.