GREEK LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE I

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. The course aims to train specialists able to analyse and discuss with competence the diachronic evolution of the language within its socio-historical and cultural context, also in the light of the latest linguistic methodologies.

Among the expected learning outcomes, it is envisaged that students will:
– gain knowledge of various forms of literary expression within Ancient Greek civilization and their respective historical and cultural contexts;
– be able to analyse linguistic phenomena in their wider historical, cultural and literary context;
– acquire knowledge of the salient aspects of Greek prose from the Imperial Age and its central themes (the preservation of classical memory, the idealization of the past, the construction of a new Greek identity, and the revival of classical dialects);
– understand the primary characteristics of the Attic, East Aeolic, and Laconic dialects as they were reimagined and reworked during the Imperial Age;
– demonstrate the ability to translate selected literary and epigraphic Greek texts with critical awareness and close attention to linguistic structures.

A good previous knowledge of Ancient Greek and a good command of Italian are required.

RECLAIMING THE PAST: ANTIQUARIAN TENDENCIES AND IDENTITY IN IMPERIAL-AGE GREECE

The course aims to investigate the phenomenon of the cultural and identity-based revival that characterized Greece under Roman rule, with a specific focus on the literary and linguistic production of the 2nd century AD. In an era of deep political integration within the Empire, the Greek world responded through a sophisticated "reconstruction of the past," transforming historical memory into an essential cultural paradigm. Within this vast phenomenon, we will explore two thematic cores:

1. The Geography of Memory: Pausanias' Journey. The analysis will begin with Pausanias' Description of Greece, a work that perfectly embodies the antiquarian tension of the era. The text will be studied not merely as a topographical guide, but as an ideological manifesto: a systematic attempt to map Greek identity through its monuments, local cults, and mythical traditions, methodically prioritizing ancient remains over Roman contemporaneity. To explore these themes, we will read selected passages from Book I, observing how the past of Classical Athens is contrasted with monuments built by Hadrian; from Book III, dedicated to Sparta and Laconia; and from Book IX, dedicated to Boeotia.

2. The Archaizing Linguistic Revival. Pausanias' guide will serve as a starting point for further thematic study dedicated to the revival of dialects in the Imperial Age through epigraphic evidence. Alongside the widespread Atticism, other scholarly recoveries of archaizing dialectal variants emerged during this period, perceived as symbols of prestige and historical continuity: the revival of the East Aeolic and Laconic dialects. We will analyze the former through selected compositions by the Roman poet Julia Balbilla, which she had inscribed on the "Colossus of Memnon" during a journey to Egypt in the entourage of Hadrian and Empress Vibia Sabina. The Laconic revival, conversely, will be analyzed in light of several dedicatory inscriptions for Artemis Orthia, within the context of the "rebirth" of Spartan customs in the Imperial Age.

The course intends to offer an interdisciplinary perspective, combining philology, the history of the language, epigraphy, and archaeology. It will analyze how the written word and monumental form collaborated in the creation of an "artificial" yet deeply felt antiquity, capable of defining what it meant to be Greek under the aegis of Rome.

1) A selection of passages from Books I, III, and IX of Pausanias’ Description of Greece (provided in translation with the original Greek text on the facing page), made available by the lecturer on the Moodle platform (details regarding specific passages will be provided closer to the start of the course). The reference edition for each book is:
– D. Musti – L. Beschi, Pausania. Guida della Grecia, Libro I: l'Attica. Milano, Mondadori (Fondazione Lorenzo Valla), 1982 (fuori commercio ma disponibile in BAUM).
– S. Rizzo, Pausania, Viaggio in Grecia: guida antiquaria e artistica, Libro primo: Attica e Megaride. Milano, Rizzoli (BUR), 1991 (in commercio).
– D. Musti – M. Torelli, Pausania. Guida della Grecia, Libro III: la Laconia. Milano, Mondadori (Fondazione Lorenzo Valla), 1992.
– M. Moggi – M. Osanna, Pausania. Guida della Grecia: 9, La Beozia. Milano, Mondadori (Fondazione Lorenzo Valla), 2010.

2) An epigram by Julia Balbilla. The reference text is:
A. M. Cirio, Gli epigrammi di Giulia Babilla. (Ricordi di una dama di corte). E altri testi al femminile sul colosso di Memnone. Lecce, Pensa Multimedia, 2011.

3) Two dedicatory inscriptions in honour of Artemis Orthia (the texts, sourced from the Inscriptiones Graecae, will be provided on Moodle).

4) Reference studies on Pausanias. The lectures will draw upon the following works (further details regarding the specific sections recommended for individual study will be provided closer to the start of the course):
– C. Habicht, Pausanias' guide to ancient Greece. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1985.
– S. Swain, Hellenism and Empire. Language, Classicism, and Power in the Greek World, AD 50–250. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1996.
– S. E. Alcock, J. F. Cherry, J. Elsner (eds.), Pausanias: travel and memory in Roman Greece. Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press, 2001 (pp. 3-52, i.e. chaps. 1-4).
– W. E. Hutton, Describing Greece: landscape and literature in the «Periegesis» of Pausanias. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2005.
– C. Zizza, Le iscrizioni nella «Periegesi» di Pausania: commento ai testi epigrafici. Pisa, ETS, 2006.
– M. Pretzler, Travel writing in ancient Greece. Bristol, Duckworth, 2007.
– G. Hawes, Pausanias in the world of Greek myth. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2021.

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed via an oral examination. This will aim to test:
– the knowledge that students will have acquired as to the course contents and its overall depth;
– the ability autonomously to translate the literary texts dealt with during the course and to explain the translation choices thus made;
– the ability to provide a commentary on the textual passages translated during the test, and to elucidate both the formal and the thematic aspects thereof;
– the ability to establish meaningful connections between the literary texts studied.
The evaluation will particularly consider the level of knowledge and its relative depth, the degree of autonomy and awareness achieved in translating the texts, the ability accurately to reflect on them in critical terms, and the overall clarity of the exposition.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

In grading the examination, the following scheme will be adopted:
– scores between 18 and 22 will be awarded in the case of: sufficient knowledge of the course contents; limited autonomy and awareness in translating and commenting on the literary texts; sufficient clarity of exposition;
– scores between 23 and 26 will be awarded in the case of: decent knowledge of the course contents; decent autonomy and awareness in translating and commenting on the literary texts; decent clarity of exposition;
– scores between 27 and 30 will be awarded in the case of: good/very good knowledge of the course contents; good/very good autonomy and awareness in translating and commenting on the literary texts; good/very good clarity of exposition.

Lectures with PowerPoint presentations.

The assessment methods will be the same for all students, whether they have attended the course or not.