HISTORY OF THE GREEK LANGUAGE

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

General Module

Course Sheet

Course code:

FLT017N2

Academic Year of enrolment:

2019

Year of supply:

2019/2020

Degree:

Course of 2nd Cycle Degree in PHILOLOGY, LINGUISTICS AND LITERARY TRADITIONS

Disciplinary Sector:

GREEK LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Is part of:

GREEK LITERATURE AND HISTORY OF THE GREEK LANGUAGE

Location:

CHIETI

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

DI MARZIO MARIALUIGIA

Cycle:

Second semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

108

Prerequisites:

The ability to read Greek texts in the original language is obligatory.

Objectives

Teaching will contribute to achievement of the learning objectives of the Degree Course in Philology, Linguistics and literary traditions, in accordance with the following coordinates:
• KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING: to consolidate and develop grammatical, syntactical and lexical skills; to master the outlines of the history of the Greek language from both the diachronic and diatopic viewpoint and that of the differentiation between literary genres;
• INDEPENDENCE OF JUDGEMENT: to acquire clear autonomy of judgement in the analysis of ancient Greek texts and in their collection and organization.
• COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS:
- To acquire sufficient skills to expose, communicate and explain linguistic problems to a specialised audience with appropriate terminology;
- To communicate to non-specialists, also through innovative methods, the singularities and richness of a classical world that can and must play a highly important role in the building of new cultural directions in collaboration with scholars from other scientific fields and professionals from the business

Contents

Through elements of historical grammar and dialectology the course aims to deepen knowledge of ancient Greek in relation to the various chronological phases and poetic and literary genres.
An initial 8 hour module will be dedicated to the fundamental characteristics of aeolic and ionic dialects, a second 8 hours module to homeric language. Then we will focus in particular on the Epigrams of Iulia Balbilla preserved on the Memnon colossus in Egyptian Thebes (Epigr. 28-31 Bernard), going into the linguistic choice of Aeolic dialect, the historical context and the position among the other Epigrams preserved on the Colossus.

Extended Syllabus

Reference texts for exam preparation. One manual chosen from:
• A.C. Cassio, Storia delle lingue letterarie greche, Le Monnier Università, Milano 2008.
• M. Morani, Introduzione alla linguistica greca: il greco tra le lingue indoeuropee, Edizioni dell’Orso 1999.
Greek lyrics required reading: G. Perrotta- B. Gentili- C.Catenacci (eds.), Polinnia. Poesia greca arcaica, D’Anna, Messina-Firenze 2007.

To read more about Greek poets it is necessary to study: G. Perrotta- B. Gentili- C.Catenacci (eds.), Polinnia. Poesia greca arcaica, D’Anna, Messina-Firenze 2007.

The following edition of Iulia Balbilla will be used:
- A.-E. Bernand, Les Inscriptions grecques et latines du Colosse de Memnon, Paris 1960.

Recommended Italian translation and comment:
A. M. Cirio, Gli Epigrammi di Giulia Balbilla (ricordi di una dama di corte e altri testi al femminile sul Colosso di Memnone), Lecce 2011.

A selection of five articles:

Bowie 1990, E. Bowie, Greek Poetry in the Antonine Age, in D. A. Russell (ed.), Antonine Literature, Oxford 1990, 53-90.
Bowie 2002, E. Bowie, Hadrian and the Greek Poetry, in E. N. Ostenfeld (ed.), Greek Romans and Romans Greek, Aarhus 2002.
Bravi 2007, A. Bravi, “Vocem Memnonis audivi”: il colosso di Memnone e i luoghi della memoria greco-romana in Egitto, in O.D. Cordovana-M. Galli (edd.), Arte e memoria culturale nell’età della Seconda sofistica, Catania 2007, 79-91.
Brennan 1998, T.C. Brennan, The Poets Julia Balbilla and Damo at the Colossus of Memnon, Class. World 91, 4, 1998, 215-234.
Cassia 2017, M. Cassia, ‘Pellegrine’ nell’Egitto romano: ‘voci’ femminili dal Colosso di Memnone, Hormos. Ricerch. Stor. Ant. n.s. 9, 2017, 29-99.
Ippolito 1996, A. Ippolito, Tecnica compositiva e modelli letterari degli Epigrammi di Giulia Balbilla, Cileno 22, 1996, 119-136.
Rosenmeyer 2008, P. A. Rosenmeyer, Greek Verse Inscriptions in Roman Egypt Julia Balbilla’s Sapphic Voice, Class. Antiq. 27, 2, 2008, 334-358.
Rosenmeyer 2018, P. A. Rosenmeyer, The Language of Ruins: Greek and Latin Inscriptions on the Memnon Colossus, New York 2018 (selected chapters).

Further texts on Balbilla’s lines will be supplied at the beginning of the course.

Recommended Bibliography

Reference texts for exam preparation. A manual chosen from:
• A.C. Cassio, Storia delle lingue letterarie greche, Le Monnier Università, Milano 2008.
• M. Morani, Introduzione alla linguistica greca: il greco tra le lingue indoeuropee, Edizioni dell’Orso 1999.

To read more about Greek poets it is necessary to study: G. Perrotta- B. Gentili- C.Catenacci (eds.), Polinnia. Poesia greca arcaica, D’Anna, Messina-Firenze 2007.
The following edition of Iulia Balbilla will be used:

- A.-E. Bernand, Les Inscriptions grecques et latines du Colosse de Memnon, Paris 1960.

Recommended Italian translation and comment:
A. M. Cirio, Gli Epigrammi di Giulia Balbilla (ricordi di una dama di corte e altri testi al femminile sul Colosso di Memnone), Lecce 2011.

A selection of five articles:

Further texts on Balbilla’s lines will be supplied at the beginning of the course.

Teaching Methods

The main teaching method will be frontal teaching; however, group work will also be provided, which will produce seminar meetings at the end of the course, to develop students’ autonomous research and communications skills.

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

The final assessment consists of a written and an oral exam with final single mark. The written exam consists of a translation of an ancient Greek text into Italian. In order to be admitted to the oral exam, the written test must be passed with the minimum assessment of sufficient (18).
The aim is to assess students' skills and, in particular, a understanding of the issues discussed during the course, an appropriate knowledge of the bibliography in the course program, a correct command of the specific language as well as critical and methodological abilities will be evaluated. The grading scale goes from 1 to 30 with honours: 1-17 fail, 18-21 sufficient, 22-24 fair, 25-27 good, 28-29 very good, 30-30 with honours excellent.

Contacts/More Information

Further texts will be supplied during the lessons.
Non-attending students will integrate the program with texts to be agreed with the teacher.

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

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