INTRODUCTION TO GREEK PALEOGRAPHY

Bachelor’s Degree Programme Scienze dell’antichità
Bachelor’s Degree Programme Archivistico bibliotecario/storico-mediterraneo antico e medievale
The course Introduction to the 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 basic knowledge of Greek Palaeography with particular regard to writing between the classical age and the Middle Byzantine period;
• 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 handwritten witnesses.

Basica knowledge of Classical Greek

The course includes an introduction to the objectives and methods of analysis in palaeography and to functional palaeographic description. The subject of study will be library and documentary writings in the Greek alphabet and language on papyrus and parchment, between classical antiquity and the Middle Byzantine period, and with regard to the areas of production and circulation of manuscripts.
Topics covered:
palaeography and the methods of palaeographic analysis
Greek writing from the most ancient evidence to the 3rd century A.D.
Koine Greek-Roman script and the birth of minuscule
Byzantine book writing up to the 10th century
the graphic change between the 11th and 12th centuries

D. Bianconi, P. Degni, E. Crisci, Paleografia greca, Roma, Carocci, 2021 (capp. 1-3)
Facsimili di manoscritti letti e commentati a lezione.
G. Cavallo, Scrivere e leggere nella città antica, Roma, Carocci, 2019
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

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 consists of reading a selection of facsimiles that reproduce the writings discussed during the course; the student is asked to recognise and illustrate the graphic typologies, showing an ability to orientate themselves in the dating and localisation of the artefacts.
Critical knowledge of the exam bibliography will also be required.

oral

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 (30L-26); 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 (25-23); 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 (22-18); 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.