44281 - Latin Palaeography and Diplomatics (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have the basic skills for making a critical edition of a manuscript and analysing it historically. They will have direct knowledge of certain kinds of document on medieval culture, institutions, society and public-private relations. They will handle critically the main tools for interpreting and searching for manuscript documents, with due respect for the documentary heritage. They will be able to collect, select and organize complex documentary information. They will have the critical skills to analyse various manuscript documents and literary sources belonging to different historical periods. Able to work unaided and in an orderly fashion, they will possess a spirit of self-criticism and the ability to learn from mixing with others. They will be rigorous and precise in their methodology.

Course contents

During the course it will be reviewed the basics of Latin Paleography and Diplomatics, in order to give student the tools and skills necessary to read, date and interpret an handwritten source. It will be illustrated the main stages of the evolution of Latin writing from its origins to XVII cent. It will be analyzed different types of scripts and different types of handwritten sources, both of library and of documentary types (codices and documents, public and privates ones), taking into account their extrinsic and intrinsic aspects.

To this end, the course is structured in two teaching modules (A and B) of 30 hours each, closely interrelated (the students of the course of 6 cfu is required only the frequency of module A):

Module A (6 cfu):

1) What is Palaeography; what is Diplomatics

2) Main concepts:

- writing tools and materials,

- lexicon and terminology of paleographical analysis,

- the functions of writing and the differences among books', documents' and chancellery' scripts;

- the definition of document; the variable part and the form of the document.

3) Introduction to the History of Latin writing (with practice):

- introduction to the study of the Latin abbreviation system,

- general periodization,

- the graphical unity of the Roman world,

- the Medieval graphical particularism,

- the new graphical unity of the Carolingian world.

4) Methods:

- the method of Paleography and the description of handwritten sources;

- the method of Diplomatics and the critical judgement about the authenticity of the document.

Module B (12 cfu):

1) Outlines of the history of Latin writing (with practice):

- insights on the writings of Carolingian world;

- the Gothic period;

- the Universities' scripts and the pecia system;

- the rebirth of cursive and the "mercantesca";

- Francesco Petrarca and the writings of the humanistic period.

2) The dating and localization of handwritten sources:

- the computation of time,

- hints of medieval chronology.

3) The critical edition of handwritten sources: guidelines and standards for the transcription of manuscripts.

4) Excursus among some of the main types of documents (publics and privates) of the Middle Ages, through the analysis of specific cases.

 

Readings/Bibliography

1) ATTENDERS (Module A 6 cfu)

• G. Cencetti, Paleografia latina, Roma Jouvence, last ed.
• A. Pratesi, Genesi e forme del documento medievale, Roma 1999.
• Didactic material provided during the course

2) ATTENDERS (Module B 12 cfu): in addition to the titles listed above, the reading is also required of Didactic material about second Module

3) UNATTENDERS (Module A 6 cfu):

    3.1 G. Cencetti, Paleografia latina, Roma Jouvence, last ed.

    3.2 A. Pratesi, Genesi e forme del documento medievale, Roma 1999

    3.3 One reading of your choice from the following: 

• A. Petrucci, Prima lezione di paleografia, Roma-Bari 2002
• P. Cherubini, A. Pratesi, Paleografia latina. L'avventura grafica del mondo occidentale, Scuola Vaticana di Paleografia, Diplomatica e Archivistica, Città del Vaticano 2010, limitatamente ai seguenti capitoli (scegliere 1 gruppo): a) 7-8 + 13-14; b) 7 + 9-12; c) 16 + 18-19; d) 16 + 22-24; e) 16 + 25; g) 34-39; h) 41 + 43-45; i) 46-50
• G. Tamba, Una corporazione per il potere. Il notariato a Bologna in età comunale, Bologna, Clueb, 2018, limitatamente alla parte prima

4) UNATTENDERS (Module B 12 cfu): in addition to 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 is also required 1 reading of your choice in the list below:

• A. Petrucci, Scritti civili, a cura di A. Bartoli Langeli, A. Ciaralli, M. Palma, Roma, Edizioni Anai, 2018 (Quaderni del mondo degli archivi, numero speciale), only essays nn. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11
• A. Rovere, I 'libri iurium' dell'Italia comunale, in Atti del Convegno, Genova, 8-11 novembre 1988, Genova 1989 («Atti della Società Ligure di Storia Patria», n.s., XXIX/2), pp. 157-199
• G. Orlandelli, Genesi dell’ars notariae nel XIII secolo, in Id., Scritti di paleografia e diplomatica, Bologna 1994 a cura di R. Ferrara e G. Feo, pp. 427-466
• F. Magistrale, La scrittura beneventana nel panorama grafico e librario medievale dell'Italia meridionale, in Presenze longobarde in Italia meridionale. Il caso della Puglia, pp. 85-96
  
• L. Iannacci, M. Modesti, A. Zuffrano, La 'misteriosa scrittura grande' dei papiri ravennati tra prassi documentaria pubblica e legislazione, in «LR Legal Roots. The International Journal of Roman Law, Legal History and Comparative Law», 1 (2012), pp. 89-119
• M. Modesti, 'In carcere Communis est'. Riflessi del carcere e della carcerazione nella documentazione medievale bolognese (seconda metà del XIII - prima metà del XIV secolo), in Le officine delle pene esacerbate, volume monografico della rivista interdisciplinare «DNA – Di Nulla Academia. Rivista di studi camporesiani», vol. 3, 2 (2022), pp. 48-80
• E. Condello, La Bibbia al tempo della Riforma gregoriana: le Bibbie atlantiche, in Forme e modelli della tradizione manoscritta della Bibbia, a cura di P. Cherubini, Città del Vaticano, BAV, 2005, pp. 347-372
  
• C. Carbonetti Vendittelli, La scrittura come strumento di governo: il registro della cancelleria di Federico II del 1239-40, in La produzione scritta tecnica e scientifica nel Medioevo: libro e documento tra scuole e professioni, a cura di G. De Gregorio e M. Galante, Spoleto 2012, pp. 243-260
  
• M.L. Mangini, Il principio dell'iceberg. Scritture ad banchum iuris malleficiorum. Milano, secoli XIII-XIV, in Liber sententiarum potestatis Mediolani (1385). Storia, diritto, diplomatica e quadri comparativi, a cura di A. Bassani, M. Calleri, M.L. Mangini, Genova 2021 («Notariorum Itinera», VII/*), pp. 33-60
• R. Napoletano, Un frammento di Boccaccio tra i registri parrocchiali, in Intorno a Boccaccio / Boccaccio e dintorni 2018. Atti del Seminario internazionale di studi (Certaldo Alta, Casa di Giovanni Boccaccio, 6-7 settembre 2018), a cura di Stefano Zamponi, Firenze, Firenze University Press, 2020, pp. 205-217
• C. Solidoro, Il reimpiego di manoscritti medievali in legature, in «Gazette du livre médiéval», 64 (2018), pp. 33-61
• M. Signorini, La scrittura libraria di Francesco Petrarca: terminologia, fortuna, in «Studi Medievali», s. III, XLVIII/2 (2007), pp. 839-862
• S. Bertelli, La "Commedia" di Dante alla corte degli Este: (con una scheda paleografica su Anicio Bonucci falsario), in «La Bibliofilia», 120 (2018), pp. 377-397

 

 

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons and practical workshops concerning reading and analysis of documents.

During the course, an educational tour will be organized to discover the manuscript heritage of one or more conservation institutions (Archives or Libraries) in the city.

Module A will start on September 17th and it will finish on October 22nd 2024.

Module B will start on November 12th and it will finish on December 13rd 2024.

Assessment methods

1) Attenders (Modules A and B: Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending): the exam consists in an oral test divided in three parts:

a) one or more general questions about the history of Latin writing, on the basis of the manual;

b) one or more general questions about the basic principles of Diplomatics, on the basis of the manual;

c) the reading and the analysis of an handwritten source similar to those seen during the course, with particular regard to the problems of transcription that it presents. Students will be required also to make a short 'regesto' and a diplomatistic analysis of the text. Attenders of Module B (12 cfu) will be questioned about all the scripts and documentary types presented during the course.

2) Unattenders (Modules A and B): the exam consists in an oral test divided in three parts:

a) one or more general questions about the history of Latin writing, on the basis of the manual. It will be evaluated the knowledge and the comprehension of the main steps of the History of Latin writing and of the fundamental principles and method of the discipline.

b) one or more general questions about the basic principles of Diplomatics, on the basis of the manual;

c) one or more specific questions about the articles chosen by the student. Special attention will be given to the critique abilities of the student, who will have to demonstrate to be able to orient himself into the world of manuscript sources, handing the tools and the method of Paleography and Diplomatics.

In the both cases (attenders and unattenders) the achievement of a systematic and complete comprehension of the basic principles of the discipline, joined with their critical use, in addition to the demonstration of owning the competence of the specific language, will be evaluated with excellence marks. A mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, bad structured analysis abilities and/or a correct but not always appropriate language will lead to decent evaluations; formative lacks or an inappropriate language – even if in a context of basic knowledge of the exam material – will lead to marks that will not go beyond sufficiency. Formative lacks, inappropriate language, scarcity of orientation in the bibliography offered during the course will be evaluated in a negative way.

3) Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Exam sessions are scheduled for the following months of the academic year:

-march

-may

-june

-july

-september

-november

-december

 

Teaching tools

During the course there will be provided reproductions and fac-similes of handwritten sources (codices and documents), exemples of critical editions and information about the main data-bases and digital tools of paleographical and diplomatistic type (only for attenders). Facsimiles are available on this site: virtuale

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Office hours

See the website of Maddalena Modesti