HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT GREEK LANGUAGE

This lecture course is part of the MA Degree Programme in Antiquities (Philology curriculum). It allows students to further their knowledge and understanding of the historical evolution of Ancient Greek through a specialist lecture course and tailored seminars, at which students are requested to actively contribute. The aim of the course is to train specialists able to analyse and discuss with competence the diction of Greek literary texts in relation to the diachronic evolution of the language and in the light of the latest linguistic methodologies.

By attending this course students will be able to:
- FURTHER their ability to recognize and discuss the main linguistic elements characterizing the historical evolution of Greek, from the 2nd millennium to the Classical age, in the light of historical and geographical factors, and with a particular focus on the relationship between literary languages and local dialects;
- FURTHER their ability to critically analyse the details of the main phono-morphological, syntactic and lexical features of Greek literary language, especially the language of the Homeric epics;
- FURTHER their ability to connect linguistic choices with the metrical shape of literary texts;
- KNOW a theoretical and methodological point of view the main issues concerning the formation of the Homeric language and its modern interpretations;
- ACQUIRE the ability to critically read, interpret and discuss the modern linguistic theories concerning the Homeric language.

Compulsory:
- adequate knowledge of Ancient Greek, certified (through high school diploma or university exams)
- previous attendance and exams in History of Greek language and/or Greek linguistics (exceptions may be made for international students: please contact the lecturer)
- adequate knowledge of Greek metre (hexameter): the course does not entail seminars on metre
- knowledge of Italian

Desirable:
Students may wish to attend the lectures of Greek literature advanced and Greek epigraphy first (although this is not a compulsory prerequisite).

The course provides an in-depth analysis, at advanced level, of the formation and development of the language of the Homeric epics and their study in the modern age. Each of the five weeks in which the course is articulated will be devoted to the introduction and analysis of a topic in Homeric linguistics in the light of traditional studies and the more recent linguistic methodologies:
1. orality theory and the development of the formulaic system: from Parry to cognitive approaches and Construction Grammar;
2. the ‘prehistory’ of the Homeric language: Indo-European roots, Mycenaean background and their analysis in some classic reference works;
3. Homeric language unfolds: the issue of the ‘Aeolic’ phase from the 19th century to now
4. the consolidation of the Homeric Kunstsprache: ancient and recent Ionic features
5. controversial features in Homeric language: Attic, ‘Euboean phase’ and problems in transmission.
Each of these five topics will also be exemplified through examples taken from Iliad 24, the set text for the exam. Seminars with experts in Homeric linguistics will be organized in order to offer students a wide-ranging approach to the topics: see below under ‘Teaching methods’.

A) General part

R. Janko, The origins and evolution of the epic diction, in Id. The Iliad: A Commentary. Volume 4: Books 13-16, Cambridge, 1992, 8-19.
G. Horrocks, Homer's Dialect, in I. Morris / B. Powell, A New Companion to Homer, Leiden, 1997, 193-217.
E. Passa, “L’epica”, in A.C. Cassio (ed.), Storia delle lingue letterarie greche, seconda edizione, Milano, 2016, 139-196.


Students are invited to further their knowledge of individual linguistic issues by consulting the following two reference works (this is not compulsory reading):
P. Chantraine, Grammaire homérique, Tome I: Phonétique et morphologie, Tome II: Syntaxe et stilistique, Paris, 1958.
E. Risch, Wortbildung der homerischen Sprache, Berlin-New York, 1974.

B) Critical studies For the exam, students will have to read and prepare *two* texts among the studies listed below, taken from *two different groups*.

B1)
L.E. Rossi, I poemi omerici come testimonianza di poesia orale, in R. Bianchi Bandinelli (ed.), Storia e civiltà dei Greci, vol. I.1, Milano, 1978, 73-147
J. Russo, The formula, in I. Morris / B. Powell, A New Companion to Homer, Leiden, 1997, 238-260.

B2)
C.J. Ruijgh, Mycenaean and the Homeric language, in A. Morpurgo Davies, Y. Duhoux (eds.), A Companion to Linear B, vol. 2, 253 Louvain-la-Neuve 2011, 253-298.
OR
C.J. Ruijgh, D’Homère aux origines protomycéniennes de la tradition épique, in J.P. Crielaard (ed.), Homeric Questions. Essays in Philology, Ancient History and Archaeology, Amsterdam, 1995, 1-96.

B3)
A.C. Cassio, La Tessaglia, l’isola di Lesbo e i dativi plurali del tipo ἐπέεσσι, in M. Vetta – C. Catenacci (eds.), I luoghi e la poesia nella Grecia antica, Alessandria, 2006, 73-84.
G.C. Horrocks, The Ionian Epic Tradition: Was There an Aeolic Phase in Its Development?, in J.T. Killen – J.L. Melena – J.P. Oliver (eds.), Studies in Mycenaean and Classical Greek Presented to J. Chadwick, in «Minos» 20-22, 1987, 269-294.
M.L. West, The Rise of the Greek Epic, in «Journal of Hellenic Studies» 108, 1988, 151-172.

B4)
A.C. Cassio, La cultura euboica e lo sviluppo dell’epica greca, in M. Bats – B. D’Agostino (ed.), Euboica: l’Eubea e la presenza euboica in Calcidica e in Occidente, Napoli 1998, 11-22.
A.C. Cassio, Epica greca e scrittura tra VIII e VII secolo a.C.: madrepatria e colonie d’Occidente, in G. Bagnasco Gianni – F. Cordano (eds.), Scritture mediterranee tra il IX e il VII secolo a.C.,
Milano 1999, 67-84.
P. Whatelet, La langue homérique et le rayonnement littéraire de l’Eubée, L’Antiquité Classique 50, 1981, 819-833.
M.L. West, The Rise of the Greek Epic, in «Journal of Hellenic Studies» 108, 1988, 151-172 (scaricabile da JSTOR).

B5)
A.C. Cassio, Epica greca e scrittura tra VIII e VII secolo a.C.: madrepatria e colonie d’Occidente, in G. Bagnasco Gianni – F. Cordano (eds.), Scritture mediterranee tra il IX e il VII secolo a.C.,
Milano, 1999, 67-84.
M. Finkelberg, Late features in the speeches of the Iliad, in Ø. Andersen – D.T.T. Haug (eds.), Relative Chronology in Early Greek Epic Poetry, Ca

The oral exam will be divided into two parts. In the first part, students will be examined on the topics pertaining to the evolution of the Homeric Kunstsprache (texts under A), in the light of the lectures and the studies chosen from B. In the second part students will be asked to read aloud, translated and comment upon a section of Iliad XXIV. Individual participation in lectures and seminars will also be part of the final evaluation.

Lectures accompanied by four seminars on the above topics. The following experts in Homeric linguistics will be invited: Dr. Chiara Bozzone (Munich: orality and formularity); Dr Lucien van Beek (Leiden: linguistic prehistory and Mycenaean); Prof. Albio Cesare Cassio (Rome: innovations in the Homeric text). Through these seminars students will have an opportunity to be exposed to different methodological approaches and discuss topics of interest with experts in the field.

Italian

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