GREEK EPIGRAPHY: CRITICISM, CONTEXTS, DIGITAL RESOURCES

The Course belongs to the historical area of ​​both LM curricula.
The course aims to ensure:
- advanced methodological skills in the description, reading and interpretation of epigraphic sources;
- ability to frame epigraphic sources both from the philological point of view and from the arcaheological one;
- awareness of the importance of this category in reconstruction and historical interpretation;
- interest in the history of studies with particular reference to antiquarian aspects, for the formation of corpora, for epigraphic collections;
- knowledge of digital tools (indexes, corpora, image archives), and of new forms of marking and cataloging of epigraphic texts.

By attending this course the student will be able to:
- read and translate, understand and interpret Greek epigraphic texts;
- correctly frame each document from a linguistic, alphabetic, typological, chronological point of view;
- describe in an appropriate manner the context of discovery, type of support, function and purpose of the document;
- propose an analytical commentary on the text, frame it in a historical way, propose suitable textual and documentary comparisons, and finally explain its relevance as a historical testimony with particular attention to the institutional aspects;
- use the paper and digital tools necessary for the analysis and understanding of epigraphic texts; access the main databases of literary and epigraphic texts;
- communicate in oral form using the specific terminology of the discipline;
- write a complete epigraphic item;
- participate in the discussion thanks to the comparison with other students on seminar opportunities led by the teacher.

It is necessary to have the basic notions of the discipline as indicated in the Syllabus concerning the teaching of Greek Epigraphy for the Three-year Degree (FT0060). Students who have not acquired the necessary skills must contact the teacher well in advance of the beginning of the course.
It is also indispensable Basic knowledge of the Greek language: students can acquire it by following the Greek Laboratory offered within the DSU..

FORMS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. THE EXPERIENCE OF PROXENIA

Within the narrow but vital space between peace and war are the forms of international relations that were already experienced in antiquity. Prominent among these is the institution of proxenia, which represents a very typical and very particular experience that allows us to focus on the many levels (formal, informal, individual, collective) of relations between cities, in a reflection that is also useful for reflecting on the political, legal and social complexity that governs relations between communities.
In this course we will consider concrete experiences documented by epigraphic texts with a particular focus on the Athenian case.

The course is structured as follows:
- general introduction on the proxeny;
- illustration and use of the main printed and on-line resources with a focus on institutional and political history;
- detailed illustration of the Axon Database: http://virgo.unive.it/venicepigraphy/axon/public/
- analytical study of a selection of significant epigraphic documents: reading, translation, dating, palaeographic commentary, historical and typological interpretation (according to the descriptive and interpretative scheme of the Axon Database):
- final exercises of autonomous drafting of epigraphic cards (according to the Axon model) relating to individual documents with classroom discussion of the most interesting or problematic aspects.

General Introduction
Introduzione generale:
E. CULASSO, Le prossenie ateniesi del IV secolo, Alessandria 2004
W. MACK, Proxeny and Polis, Oxford 2015
Further bibliographical indications will be available on the Moodle site.

Database AXON: https://mizar.unive.it/axon/public/index/index
Proxeny in the Ancient World: http://proxenies.csad.ox.ac.uk/

Students not attending the Course are invited to contact the teacher; They have to write and discuss in the Class an epigraphic Item of the Database AXON.

Students will be evaluated on the basis of three aspects:
- active participation in the course during the lectures (20%)
- the oral discussion on a epigrahic document (40%)
- AXON item and epigraphic commentary to be handed in 7 days before the exam and discussed during the examination (40%)

Students not attending the Course:
- AXON item and epigraphic commentary to be handed in 7 days before the exam and discussed during the examination (50%)
- the final oral exam concerning the texts on the Syllabus (50%).

The course has a seminar structure, involving the active participation of students both in moments of collective discussion on general problems, and on the occasion of the individual presentation.
It also provides:
- a visit to the epigraphic collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Venice;
- one session in the DSU Greek Epigraphy Laboratory.

Italian

written and oral

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