GREEK PALAEOGRAPHY

Bachelor’s Degree Programme Scienze dell’antichità
Bachelor’s Degree Programme Archivistico bibliotecario/storico-mediterraneo antico e medievale
The course of Greek Palaeography offers to the students of “History” and “Humanities” the essential training for reading, recognising and dating Greek book and diplomatic scripts, and for using and analysing historical and literary sources in their original form and in their transmission between classical antiquity and Middle Ages.

By the end of the course, the students:
• will have a sound knowledge of Greek Palaeography (in particular minuscule bookhands and a general overview of the development of Greek handwriting);
• will be able to select and apply sources and techniques required for the analysis of the Greek handwritings;
• will be able to read and date manuscripts.

Knowledge of Classical Greek

The course includes an introduction to the objectives and methods of analysis in palaeography and to the functional palaeographic description. Book and documentary scripts in Greek alphabet and language of 4th-15th centuries will be studied, considering production and circulation of manuscripts.
Topics covered :
the capital script and dating problems (biblical, Alexandrian, ogival, liturgical capital);
the Byzantine koiné and the birth of the minuscule script;
the minuscule script between the 9th and 11th centuries (Constantinopolitan and provincial currents and styles);
the graphic change in the 12th century;
the lower case between the age of Nicaea (1204-1261) and the fall of Constantinople (1453).
The last topic will be dealt with in a more concise form and with reference to the main directions of graphic development.

Mandatory
D. Bianconi, P. Degni, E. Crisci, Paleografia greca, Roma, Carocci, 2021
Facsimiles of manuscripts read and commented on in class.
G. Cavallo, Scrivere e leggere nella città antica, Roma, Carocci, 2019
Non-attending students should supplement the compulsory texts with the following books:
L. Canfora, Il copista come autore, Palermo, Sellerio, 2019
G. Cavallo, Leggere a Bisanzio, Milano, Sylvestre Bonnard, 2007.


Other warmly recommended books
G. Cavallo (a cura di), Libri e lettori nel mondo bizantino. Guida storica e critica, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1990
Codices graeci Bibliothecae Vaticanae selecti, edidit H. Follieri, Città del Vaticano, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1969 (Exempla scripturarum, 4)
Facsimili di codici greci della Biblioteca Vaticana, a cura di P. Canart, S. Lucà, A. Jacob, L. Perria, Città del Vaticano, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1998 (Exempla scripturarum, 5)

The exam will consist of a written test consisting of a transcription paper and 3 open-ended questions that will focus on the textbook, texts and topics covered in the course. The use of vocabulary is allowed.
The examination will be evaluated according to the following parameters:
the student's ability to convey the knowledge acquired in a personal and critical manner, demonstrating the use of language appropriate to the subject matter and the mastery of the expressive medium will be evaluated with marks ranging from excellent to good; a mnemonic knowledge of the subject matter, together with the ability to synthesise and analyse articulated in a correct but not always appropriate language, will lead to fair marks; formative gaps and/or inappropriate language - albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the examination material - will lead to marks that do not exceed sufficiency; formative gaps, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographical materials offered during the course will be assessed negatively.

Lectures will be conducted in conventional mode, with the aid of power points and digitised copies of manuscripts for reading and commentary available in Moodle. Attendance is strongly recommended. Visits to libraries for practical lessons on manuscripts are planned.

Italian

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