PAPYROLOGY

The Papirologia course is an optional teaching of the Master's degree in "Scienze dell'antichità: letterature, storia e archeologia".
This course provides students with the necessary training to learn how to read Greek literary papyri and, therefore, to use and analyze these historical and literary sources in the original form in which they were transmitted.

By the end of the course the students will have acquired:
- Basic knowledge of the various fields of papyrology (documentary, literary, digital and Herculaneum)
- Knowledge and understanding of the writing materials used in antiquity, and of the forms of the ancient book (papyri, ostraca and tablets of Egyptian origin)
- Ability to judge the editions of papyrus and the different types of writings in literary papyri
- Ability to apply this knowledge to the analysis and edition of a papyrus text
- Ability to apply this knowledge to digitally edit a literary papyrus
- Communicative ability to present the results in the standard scientific forms of the critical and digital edition

Basic knowledge of classical Greek.

The course provides the basics for the study of writing materials in the ancient world (ostraca, tablets, papyrus and parchment), with particular attention to the development of Greek writing of literary papyri.
Part of the course consists in reading and commenting on images of papyri. Students will produce own digital editions of papyri on the basis of preceeding editions or photographs. These will then be corrected by the teacher and eventually published online.
Non-attendants are required to contact the teacher to integrate the institutional preparation with the study of a choice of texts and original sources, as well as with exercises to be agreed according to their interests and their skills.

Mandatory bibliography
Nicola Reggiani, Papirologia. La cultura scrittoria dell'Egitto greco-romano, Parma 2019, cap. 1-2, 7-8, 14-15.
Further materials will be provided in moodle.

Recommended additional bibliography
- N. Reggiani, La papirologia digitale. PRospettiva storico-critica e sviluppi metodologici, Parma 2019, cap. 11 and Appendice: manuale di Leiden+.
- G. Cavallo, La scrittura greca e latina dei papiri. Una introduzione, Roma: Fabrizio Serra Editore, 2008.
- P. Parsons, La scoperta di Ossirinco. La vita quotidiana in Egitto al tempo dei Romani, Roma: Carocci 2014.
- H. Blanck, Il libro nel mondo antico, ed.it. a cura di R. Otranto, Bari: Dedalo 2008.

The exam will consist of the digital edition of two literary papyri (75%) and a short oral examination (25%) including a reading test of an image of a papyrus presented at the moment.

The first 12 and the penultimate 6 hours will be carried out in the conventional way (in presence with live streaming online), the 12 hours in between will be according to the switched classroom method (asynchronous), using moodle and papyri.info. The asynchronous lessons consist in exercises of digital editing. Active participation of the students is required. Attendance of the first twelve hours is strongly recommended.

Italian

Non-attenders are requested to read the whole bibliography listed above and to contact the teacher in order to organize their exercises in analogy to the attending students.

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