GREEK PALAEOGRAPHY

The course of Greek Palaeography offers to the students of “Ancient Civilisations: Literature, History and Archaeology”, "Archival and Library Science" and “History from the Middle Ages to Present” the essential training for reading Greek manuscripts and documents, and for using and analysing historical and literary sources in their original form.

By the end of the module, the students
- Will have a sound knowledge of Greek handwriting of 15th and 16th centuries both in East and West
- Will be able to distinguish different handwriting styles
- Will be able to date to date and place manuscripts in the cultural context in which they were produced.

Knowledge of classical Greek.

The course is primarily aimed at students with a basic knowledge of Greek Palaeography, but is also open to beginner students.
For this reason, the first part of the course consists of the history of Greek writing between the 4th and the 14th century, in which some topics will be explored in depth with the active seminar-like participation of the students.
The second part is devoted to the Greek script of the 15th and the spread of Greek in the West .
Writing in this period is characterised by the continuation of earlier styles and the increasing spread of individual scripts.
The contexts of manuscript production between lordly courts and erudite patronage and the impact that printing had on professional writing will not be neglected.

Mandatory texts:
Students who already have a basic knowledge of Greek palaeography, which will be ascertained during the examination, are required to have knowledge of the following texts:
P. Canart, Identification et différentiation de mains à l'époque de la Renaissance, in: La paléographie grecque et byzantine, Paris 1977, pp. 363-369
P. Eleuteri- P. Canart, Scrittura greca nell'Umanesimo italiano, Milano, Il Polifilo, 1991.

Students without a basic knowledge of Greek palaeography will have to complete their preparation on a Greek palaeography textbook of their choice:
D. Bianconi-E. Crisci-P. Degni, Paleografia greca, Roma, Carocci editore, 2021.
L. Perria, Graphis. Per una storia della scrittura greca, Città del Vaticano, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 2011.

Optional additional bibliography:
D. Harlfinger, Zu griechischen Kopisten und Schriftstilen des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts, in: La paléographie grecque et byzantine, Paris 1977, pp. 327-341
N. G. Wilson, Da Bisanzio all'Italia. Gli studi greci nell'Umanesimo italiano, ed. rivista e aggiornata, Alessandria 2000.
I libri di Bessarione. Studi sui manoscritti del cardinale a Venezia e a Roma, eds. A. Rigo, N. Zorzi, Turnhout 2022.

The exam will consist of a written test consisting of a transcription paper and 10 open-ended questions that will focus on the textbook, texts and topics covered in the course. For 6 questions, a short notion-type answer is expected, and for the other 4, a medium-length answer requiring good critical thinking skills. 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 presence with the aid of power point and internet connection for access to facsmili collections. Attendance is strongly recommended.
In-class and individual reading and commentary exercises on manuscript reproductions and visits to libraries for manuscript exercises are planned.

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