MEDIEVAL LATIN LITERATURE

The course is dedicated to Peter of Poitiers’ “Compendium Historiae”, a graphical representation of the history of salvation as reported in the biblical books starting from Adam and Eve, following the genealogical succession through Noe, Abraham, King David to Christ. Written in the 12th century, the Compendium is the first visualisation of history as a timeline, branching out to include the prophets, judges and high priests, the kings of Israel and Judah, as well as the Roman rulers and emperors. Short text snippets, diagrams and illustrations provide condensed biographies and accounts of historical matters and events. Despite its immediate success and enormous popularity among scholars and believers the Compendium has never been printed or scholarly edited.
Students will learn to decipher and transcribe passages from original manuscript witnesses, compare and translate them, identify biblical references and source texts, comment on philological, historical and iconographical aspects. They will be introduced to learn how to use traditional and digital methods, tools and reference works for understanding the Compendium, its complex transmission and cultural context.

1. Knowledge and understanding:
- Knowledge and understanding of Medieval Latin literature with a focus on biblical, patristic and scholastic texts
- Competences in Medieval Latin philology including codicological, paleographical, iconographical, theological and technological skills

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- Ability to apply the concepts and competencies on complex manuscript transmission of Medieval Latin literature.
- Ability to solve problems connected to the adoption of philological methods and (digital) tools for transcription, collation, interpretation, translation and annotation of original Medieval Latin texts.

3. Judgement skills:
- Ability to critically analyse textual transmission history and scholarly traditions.
- Ability to develop critical thinking skills with reference to academic practices, methods and technologies.

4. Communication skills:
- Ability to interact with the peers and the professor and communicate the outcomes of the student’s work.

Basic Knowledge of Latin required.

1. Introduction to Peter of Poitiers’ Compendium historiae (author, work, sources, contexts)
2. Philological core competences: codicology, paleography, textuality and textual criticism, scholarly editing etc.
3. Reading and understanding the the graph
4. Project work: Preparation of section of the compendium (transcription, collation. Establishment of a reading text, critical annotation, translation, commentary)

Alidori, L. 2001/2002. “Il Plut. 20.56 della Laurenziana. Appunti sull’iconografia dei manoscritti della Genealogia di Petrus Pictaviensis.” Rivista di Storia della Miniatura 6/7, 157–70.

Bleier, R. et al. 2024. “History as a Visual Concept: Peter of Poitiers’ Compendium Historiae.” Manuscript Studies: A Journal of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies, vol. 9/2, p. 322-335. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/mns.2024.a945378 .

Franz Fischer; Agnese Macchiarelli. 2024. “Rappresentare la Storia Sacra: un’impresa ieri, una sfida oggi. Proposta di edizione scientifica digitale del “Compendium” di Pietro di Poitiers”. Me.Te. Digitali. Mediterraneo in rete tra testi e contesti. Proceedings del XIII Convegno Annuale AIUCD2024 (Quaderni di Umanistica Digitale), p. 221-225. https://dx.doi.org/10.6092/unibo/amsacta/7927

Philipp S. Moore: The Works of Peter of Poitiers. Master in Theology and Chancellor of Paris (1193–1205) (Publications in Medieval Studies, Bd. 1). Notre Dame, Indiana 1936.

Worm, A. 2021. Geschichte und Weltordnung. Graphische Modelle von Zeit und Raum in
Universalchroniken vor 1500 (Jahresgabe des Deutschen Vereins für Kunstwissenschaft). Berlin.

Worm, A. 2013. “Visualising the Order of History: Hugh of Saint Victor’s Chronicon and Peter of Poitiers’ Compendium historiae.” In Romanesque and the Past: Retrospection in the Art and Architecture of Romanesque Europe, eds. R. Plant, J. McNeill. London. 243–64.

The assessment will be based on the following components:
1. Final oral exam.
2. Participation in class discussions.
3. Assignments and course activities.

Attendance is strongly recommended. Non-attending students should contact the professor at least three weeks before the exam.

oral

GRADING SCALE
Under 18: Fail - insufficient knowledge of and ability to understand the topics of the course - insufficient level of execution of class and home activities
Grades 18-21: - sufficient knowledge of and ability to understand the topics of the course - sufficient level of execution of class and home activities
Grades 22-24: - satisfactory knowledge of and ability to understand the topics of the course - satisfactory level of execution of class and home activities
Grades 25-27: - good knowledge of and ability to understand the topics of the course - good level of execution of class and home activities
Grades 28-30: - very good or excellent knowledge of and ability to understand the topics of the course - very good or excellent level of execution of class and home activities

Classes with activities in and outside the class, and interaction between professors and students.
Attendance is strongly recommended.
The didactic material will be made available through the Moodle e-learning platform.

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion.
Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments:
Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.