29942 - History of the Ancient Greek Language (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The students are expected to acquire specific skills in the analysis and interpretation of texts selected from the whole history of the Greek language (from the archaic age to the formation of the so-called ‘common language' that then developed into Modern Greek).
Through a direct analysis of textual specimens the pupils are expected to improve: a) their ability to recognise the proper historical setting of a Greek text or document and to reconstruct both synchronically and diachronically its textual tradition; b) their methodological skills to analyse a text from a historical and linguistic point of view and to establish its relations with other texts and cultural products.
The students will prove their meeting of these goals by producing an essay on one text and giving a presentation of their work to the class.
The students will come in contact with the main tools of the ‘philological practice' (reading of papyruses and manuscripts on microfilm, consulting textual and bibliographical databases, paper and IT tools of documentation and analysis indexes), refining thus their skills in the textual analysis of ancient texts.

Course contents

Special focus course ('corso monografico')

a) Times of grace: forms and context of χάρις from Homer to Christianity.

Core course ('parte istituzionale')

  b)  General rudiments of History of the Greek Language

 Lectures Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 16-18, Aula Mansarda (5.10-17.11).

Links: http://www.classics.unibo.it

Readings/Bibliography

a) Notes from the lectures. Two books (or one book and three essays in review) in the following list: G. Arrighetti, Poeti, eruditi e biografi. Momenti della riflessione dei Greci sulla letteratura, Pisa 1987; C. Brillante, Charis, bia e il tema della reciprocità amorosa, «QUCC» n.s. LIX (1988) 7-34; V. Di Benedetto, L'ideologia del potere e la tragedia greca, Torino 1978; E.R. Dodds, The Ancient Concept of Progress and Other Essays on Greek Literature and Belief, Oxford 1973; H. Fränkel, Poesia e filosofia della Grecia arcaica, trad. it. Bologna 1997 (ed. or. München 1962); F. Guizzi, Χάρις in Pericle e in Aristotele, «QS» XLVII (1998) 75-102; J.W. Hewitt, The Terminology of “Gratitude” in Greek, «CPh» XXII (1927) 142-161; A. Lesky, La poesia tragica dei Greci, trad. it. Bologna 1996; A. Lo Schiavo, Charites. Il segno della distinzione, Napoli 1993; Bonnie MacLachlan, The Age of Grace. Charis in Early Greek Poetry, Princeton 1993; Martha C. Nussbaum, La fragilità del bene, trad. it. Bologna 1996 (20042); M. Scott, Charis in Homer and the Homeric Hymns, «AClass» XXVI (1983) 1-13; G. Tarditi, La gratitudine degli dei: l'ὄλβος di Ierone e la vicenda del vecchio Creso (Bacch. Epin. 3), «RFIC» CXVII (1989) 276-285. Further bibliography on the discussed texts will be provided during the lectures.

b) Notes from the lectures. One essay in the following list: O. Hoffmann-A. Debrunner-A. Scherer, Storia della lingua greca, trad. it. Napoli, Macchiaroli, 1969; A. Meillet, Lineamenti di storia della lingua greca, trad. it. Torino, Einaudi, 1981 (2nd ed.); L.R. Palmer, Greek Language, London, Faber, 1980; V. Pisani, Storia della lingua greca, Torino, Sei, 1960; L. Heilmann, Grammatica storica della lingua greca, Torino, Sei, 1963; O. Szemerényi, Introduzione alla linguistica indoeuropea, a c. di G. Boccali-V. Brugnatelli-M. Negri, Milano, Unicopli, 1985, F. Villar, Gli indoeuropei e le origini dell'Europa, trad. it. Bologna, il Mulino, 1997; W.P. Lehmann, La linguistica indoeuropea. Storia, problemi e metodi, trad. it. Bologna, il Mulino, 1999.

Teaching methods

After some introductory lectures by the teacher and the specimen analysis of selected texts, the lectures will be carried out by the students themselves as presentations (which will test thus the abilities they have developed through the course); the sessions will have a seminar-like form and meant to be moments of real common research, with the familiarisation and the use of the main philological tools (traditional and data processing).
All the material handed out in the lectures will be available afterwards on line at http://www2.classics.unibo.it/Organico/PDocenti/homeneri.htm

Assessment methods

A first assessment will be carried out to begin with in the individual presentations and in the seminars, where the students will be able auto-assess their learning.
The viva voce examination consists of a conversation in which the teacher, through a series of questions, will test the theoretical knowledge and the theoretical-practical methodologies as explained in the lectures.
The students who will not have given a presentation to the class will be required to carry out a linguistic analysis of some texts in the viva voce.

Teaching tools

PC, video projector, overhead projector, photocopied hand-outs

Links to further information

http://www.classics.unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Camillo Neri