Jan Gijsbert Pieter Best (1941–2023) was a Dutch pre- and protohistorian, comparative linguist, archaeologist, and author. He served as a Professor at the University of Amsterdam for approximately 30 years, where he taught ancient history and Mediterranean prehistory. His scholarly work focused on deciphering unknown scripts, including Linear A, Cretan hieroglyphs, and the Byblos script. He was also involved in archaeological excavations, such as those at Dyadovo in Bulgaria. Best co-founded Najade Press in 1991 and authored numerous works on ancient Mediterranean history and travel literature.[1,2]
