INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL CULTURE I

CLASSICS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE. THOUGHT, SPEECH AND LITERARY GENRES IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
The class runs along two lines, which intersect and complement each other: the exploration of genres, authors and texts belonging to the high poetic tradition aims at illustrating some of the main topics related to Greek and Roman culture, while the illustration and discussion about texts and authors is aimed at stimulating critical reflections about the human being and the contemporary world, mostly in relation to the cultural heritage.

Knowledge and comprehension:
- knowing the basic notions concerning the development of classical Greek and Roman culture;
- knowing some of the main genres and exponents of the Greek and Roman poetic tradition;
- knowing methodologies for concrete application of notions relating to classical culture to the cultural heritage.

Skills to apply knowledge and comprehension:
- being able to situate correctly ancient authors and literary phenomena in both time and space;
- being able to reflect on some cornerstones of ancient Greek and Roman culture;
- being able to concretely apply the notions relating to classical culture to the cultural heritage.

Judgment skills:
- being able to critically elaborate notions and concepts relating to classical culture using appropriate terminology;
- being able to recognise the historical depth of a concept or a fact of the Western cultural heritage;
- be able to judge more profoundly the roots of Western culture.

Communication skills:
- being able to write short texts elaborating the acquired notions with the appropriate terminology and methodological approach.

Learning skills:
- being able to blend the notions acquired during the course with the appropriate study of handbooks and other materials.

No knowledge of Latin or ancient Greek language is required.

THOUGHT AND SPEECH. POETRY, TRAGEDY AND SENSE OF TRAGEDY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD BETWEEN GREECE AND ROME

• Wonder is the foundation of knowledge. Texts: Aristotle, Metaphysics I 982b1-983a23; «il latino si presenta (così come il greco) alla fantasia come un mito» (A. Gramsci, Quaderni del carcere, Quaderno 12 (XXIX) 10-11, pp. 1543 [«Nella vecchia scuola …»] – 1546 [«… lo studio del latino e del greco] ed. Gerratana)

1. Greek culture

• Archaic epic poetry: main features. Texts: Homer, Iliad I 1-52, Odyssey I 1-21, 325-355, VIII 471-522;
• Lyric poetry: main features; Mimnermus (elegy); Sappho (monodic lyric); Pindar (choral lyric). Texts: Mimnermus, frr. 1 e 2; Sappho, frr. 1 e 12; Pindar, Pythic IV 213-241;
• Sophistic and rhetoric: main features; Protagoras; Gorgias. Text: fr. 82 B 11 DK, §§ 8-12 (Gorgias, Encomium of Helen);
• Tragedy: origins and agones (main features); Aeschylus; Sophocles; Euripides. Texts: Aeschylus, The Persians vv. 150-172; Sophocles, Antigone vv. 332-375; Euripides (with special attention to Medea);
• Ancient reflections on poetry and theatre: Plato (on poetry) and Aristotle (on tragedy);
• Hellenistic epic poetry: Apollonius of Rhodes and the “tragedy” of Medea. Text: Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica, III 1-5, 751-824;
• Hebraic literature of Hellenistic age: Ezekiel the Tragedian: Exagōgē. Text: Ezekiel the Tragedian, Exagōgē, frr. 1-2 (pp. 161-165 ed. Troiani).


2. Roman culture

• Epic poetry: main features; Livius Andronicus; Naevius; Ennius. Texts: Livius Andronicus, Odusia, frr. 1, 4, 9, 30 Mariotti (= 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.7, 3.1.3 anthology); Ennius, Annales, frr. 1-3, 133 Traglia, 451 Skutsch = 140 Vahlen);
• Tragedy in the Old Latin period: main features; Livius Andronicus; Naevius; Ennius; Pacuvius; Accius. Texts: Ennius, frr. 27-30 e 86-99 Vahlen (= 9.2.1 e 9.2.3 anthology); Accius, fr. 17-28, 29-38 Klotz-Ribbek (= 13.2.3 anthology);
• Didactic poetry (late Roman Republic): Lucretius’ De rerum natura. Texts: Lucr. I 136-145, III 830-842, VI 1145-1196 (= 6.1.5, 6.1.13, 6.1.25 anthology);
• Epic poetry in the Augustan age: Vergil’s Aeneid. Texts: Verg. Aen. I 1-33 (= 9.3.1 anthology), IV 1-29, VI 919-952;
• Tragedy in the Imperial age: the tragedies of Seneca the Younger;
• Epics in the Flavian Age of Imperial Rome: Statius’ Thebaid. Text: Stat. Theb. I 1-40 (= 8.2.1 anthology);
• Between Christianity and Paganism: Prudentius and Claudian. Texts: Prud. cath. I 1-48 (= 25.6.1 anthology); Claud. Rapt. Pros. II 204-246 (= 25.5.1 anthology)

• Transmission and tradition of classical culture (how and why we are still able to feel wonder)

GREEK AND ROMAN CULTURE

A. Beltrametti, "La letteratura greca. Tempi e luoghi, occasioni e forme", Roma, Carocci 2005

A. Cavarzere, A. De Vivo, P. Mastandrea, "Letteratura latina. Una sintesi storica", Roma, Carocci 2003

PAY ATTENTION, PLEASE! Beltrametti's and Cavarzere's texts are to be studied limited to the topics and authors cited in the "contents" section

V. Melis, "Retorica e testi argomentativi. Teorie e prassi dal mondo antico greco e romano", in F. Ervas, E. Gola, V. Melis, "Scripta manent. Dieci lezioni sulla scrittura argomentativa", Milano-Udine, Mimesis 2021 [§§ 1-2, pp. 55-59] [materials on Moodle]

D. Del Corno, 18.1.1 "La Bibbia dei Settanta", 18.1.2 "Temi biblici nelle forme letterarie della tradizione greca", in "Letteratura greca. Dall’età arcaica alla letteratura cristiana", Milano, Principato 19952 [materials on Moodle]

The anthology (see “contents”) will be uploaded on Moodle.

Further essays only for students who will not attend the course [materials on Moodle]:

P. Mureddu, "La tragedia: dalle origini a Eschilo", in M. Di Marco, "Storia del teatro greco", Roma 2020, pp. 71-82.

C. Catenacci, "Medea esule", in A. Camerotto - F. Pontani (a cura di), "Xenia. Migranti, stranieri, cittadini tra i classici e il presente", Milano - Udine 2018, pp. 49-62.

M. Fucecchi, "Enea e altri profughi virgiliani", in A. Camerotto - F. Pontani (a cura di), "Xenia. Migranti, stranieri, cittadini tra i classici e il presente", Milano - Udine 2018, pp. 63-82.

The exam consists of a written test (questions and answers) aimed at verifying the acquisition of the learning outcomes illustrated in the section “expected learning outcomes” (see above).

- Frontal teaching
- Readings and discussion about the scheduled texts (see “contents”)

Due to the experimental nature of the class, it is recommended (although not mandatory) to attend the lessons.

General information

The class “Introduction to classical culture I – surnames M-Z” can be attended:
1) as an independent course (6 CFU)
or
2) as the first part of the full course of “Introduction to classical culture” (6 + 6 = 12 CFU). In this case, please, pay attention to the following warnings:
2.1) students (surnames M-Z) who have to achieve 12 CFU have to consult both the programs of the course “Introduction to classical culture I - surnames M-Z”, held by me, and of the course “Introduction to classical culture II - surnames M-Z” held by Professor Alberto Camerotto.
2.2) students have to take the two exams, “Introduction to classical culture I – surnames M-Z” (Melis) and “Introduction to classical culture II – surnames M-Z” (Camerotto), in the days and hours scheduled for each exam (that are distinct)
2.3 students are to take the two exams totalling 12 CFU within the span of one Academic year.

Information for students enrolled in the curriculum of Classical Studies:
Students enrolled in the curriculum of Classical Studies are required to attend not this course, but rather the classes of Greek Literature (with knowledge of the Greek language).

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development