ANATOLIAN EPIGRAPHY

This course is part of the core curriculum of the Master's Degree program in Ancient Studies: Literature, History, and Archaeology (Archaeology track); it helps students develop skills in the philological and linguistic analysis of the ancient world, with a particular focus on the Indo-European languages ​​of the Anatolian region.

By the end of the course, the student will be able to employ the tools, terminology, and methods of linguistic, philological, historical, and epigraphic analysis essential for scholarly research in the field of Anatolian studies.
Furthermore, the student will have acquired the skills to conduct bibliographic research and consult relevant databases for the discipline.

Knowledge of at least one ancient Indo-European language is required. Knowledge of Hittite is useful but not mandatory.

Introduction to Hieroglyphic Luwian.
This course introduces the Luwian script and language. Students will learn to recognize the signs, transliterate the script, and analyze and translate texts in the original language. Students will also learn the fundamentals of the history of the decipherment, which is essential for a full understanding of past and present scholarship in the field.

Text edition:
J.D. Hawkins, 2000. Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions, De Gruyter
Lecture notes.

Written exam. Regular preparation of the texts and sources to be examined in class, on a week-by-week basis, is a prerequisite for taking the exam.

Grading scale, with scores assigned based on the demonstration of the following knowledge and skills:
- Range 18–22: sufficient knowledge of the subject matter; sufficient ability to identify sites/classes of materials; sufficient ability to interpret and connect events; sufficient communication skills regarding the use of technical terminology.
- Range 23–26: fair knowledge of the subject matter; fair ability to identify sites/classes of materials; fair ability to interpret and connect events; fair communication skills regarding the use of technical terminology.
- Range 27–29: good/very good knowledge of the subject matter; good/very good ability to identify sites/classes of materials; good/very good ability to interpret and connect events; good/very good communication skills regarding the use of technical terminology.
- 30: excellent knowledge of the subject matter; excellent ability to identify sites/classes of materials; excellent ability to interpret and connect events; excellent communication skills regarding the use of technical terminology.
- 30 with distinction (cum laude): outstanding knowledge of the subject matter; outstanding ability to identify sites/classes of materials; outstanding ability to interpret and connect events; outstanding communication skills.

Classes take place entirely in the classroom but follow a seminar-style format; students are required to prepare the texts and sources to be examined and discussed in class in advance, on a weekly basis. Intensive workshops on specific topics may supplement the lectures, subject to agreement with the participants. Active class participation and preparation of the assigned texts for each session are strongly recommended.