János Harmatta (2 October 1917 – 24 July 2004) was a Hungarian

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingu ...

. He deciphered the Parthian

ostraca An ostracon ( Greek: ''ostrakon'', plural ''ostraka'') is a piece of pottery, usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In an archaeological or epigraphical context, ''ostraca'' refer to sherds or even small pieces of ...

and

papyri Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, '' Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a ...

of Dura Europos and was the first to decipher a major Bactrian inscription.Ritoók, Zsigmond. (1997
"The contribution of Hungary to international classical scholarship"
''

Hungarian Studies Hungarian studies is a field of study concerned with the Hungarian language, literature, ethnology, culture, history or society. According to the current philosophy of Hungarian Studies, all these terrains that used to be treated as separate ...

'', 12. Retrieved 12 March 2014. He taught as a professor at the

Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( hu, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its ma ...

Literary works

* Harmatta János (1917-): ''Forrástanulmányok Herodotos Skythika-jához'' = ''Quellenstudien zu den Skythika des Herodot'' / irta Harmatta János ()

References and sources

;References ;Sources * Harmatta János (1917-): ''Forrástanulmányok Herodotos Skythika-jához'' = ''Quellenstudien zu den Skythika des Herodot'' / irta Harmatta János * Ferenczy Endre (1912-1990): ''Az ókori Róma története'' : gyetemi tankönyv/ Ferenczy Endre, Maróti Egon, Hahn István ; szerk. Harmatta János * Szabó Miklós (1940-): ''Hellasz fénykora : Görögország az i.e. V. században'' / Szabó Miklós ; '' szövegben szereplő prózai idézetek Devecseri Gábor et al. fordításai' * ''Studies in the sources on the history of Pre-Islamic Central Asia'' / y_R._Ghirshman_..._et_al..html" ;"title="R._Ghirshman.html" ;"title="y R. Ghirshman">y R. Ghirshman ... et al.">R._Ghirshman.html" ;"title="y R. Ghirshman">y R. Ghirshman ... et al.; ed. by J. Harmatta * ''Prolegomena to the sources on the history of Pre-Islamic Central Asia'' / [by P. Aalto ... et al.] ; ed. by J. Harmatta Linguists from Hungary Iranologists 1917 births 2004 deaths Herder Prize recipients 20th-century linguists Hungarian classical scholars {{Hungary-linguist-stub