Igor Mikhailovich Diakonov ( December 30 , 1914 ( January 12 , 1915 ) , Petrograd â `` May 2 , 1999 , St Petersburg ) was a Russian historian , linguist , and translator who should be ranked among the greatest authorities on Ancient Near East and its languages . Igor Mikhailovich Diakonov was a Russian historian , linguist , and translator and a renowned expert in the Ancient Near East and its languages .