Maurice Wildon Montague Pope (17 February 1926 – 1 August 2019) was a British linguist, specialist in Classical studies and antiquity, one of leading researchers of the Cretan script Linear A. Born in London, he graduated from

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. In 1949, became a teaching assistant at the chair of classical studies of

Cape Town University The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

, lecturer from 1952, professor from 1957. In 1957, he replaced professor George P. Gould in the position of Head of the Chair of Classical Studies. In co-authorship with Gould he published several articles on Minoan

Linear A Linear A is a writing system that was used by the Minoans of Crete from 1800 to 1450 BC to write the hypothesized Minoan language or languages. Linear A was the primary script used in palace and religious writings of the Minoan civil ...

script. Along with linguistics Pope was interested in archaeology. He often participated in archaeological expeditions, and in 1954 participated in an underwater expedition of the Archaeological School of Athens near

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...

. In 1960s, he was Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

. The hero of

J.M. Coetzee John Maxwell Coetzee Order of Mapungubwe, OMG (born 9 February 1940) is a South African–Australian novelist, essayist, linguist, translator and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is one of the most critically acclaimed and de ...

's 2002 book "Youth" (pp 23–24) describes the Cape Town Classics Department: "Greek and pure mathematics are in his eyes the noblest subjects one can study at a university. From afar he reveres the lecturers in Greek, whose courses he cannot take: Anton Paap, papyrologist; Maurice Pope, translator of Sophocles; Maurits Heemstra, commentator on Heraclitus. Together with Douglas Sears, Professor of Pure Mathematics, they inhabit an exalted realm." In August 1968, Pope resigned from his position and left the university, as he strongly disagreed with the interference of the racist government in the University's policy (namely, the government forced the University authorities to dismiss a job offer previously issued to a Black person).SOUTH AFRICA: WHERE WERE WE LOOKING IN 1968? By John Daniel and Peter. Vale. Page 142
/ref> In 1969, Maurice Pope moved to teach and research in

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. In the 1980s, in cooperation with Jacques Raison, he prepared and published a corpus of Minoan Linear A inscriptions.

Military service

Maurice served as an officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

from (July 1944 - November 1946). He served on the LCT 1187 that was part of the flotilla of H.M.S. Troubadour. In his autobiography "Amateur" he recounts his experiences of the war.

References

Selected works

* ''Corpus transnuméré du Linéaire A (avec J. Raison)''. *''The Story of Decipherment: From Egyptian Hieroglyphs to Maya Script: From Egyptian Hieroglyphics to Maya Script'' 1999, New York: Thames & Hudson. *''The Ancient Greeks: How They Lived and Worked'' 1976, Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0715370812 * ''Upon the Country – Juries and the Principle of Random Selection''. Social Science Information 28, no. 2 (June 1989): 265-289 * ''The Keys to Democracy - Sortition As a New Model For Citizen Power''. 2023, Imprint Academic. ISBN 9781788360975 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, Maurice Linguists from the United Kingdom Linguists from South Africa South African archaeologists 2019 deaths 1926 births Academics from London Alumni of the University of Cambridge University of Cape Town academics Academics of the University of Oxford British expatriates in South Africa