29424 - Seminars (1) (LM) (G. B)

Course contents

Cleopatra, Alexander and the others

This seminar offers an anthology of readings to explore how historical and literary characters from antiquity entered the Arabo-Islamic tradition as authors of scientific and technical texts. With the help of the primary sources, this seminar will explore the authorial profiles of Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, Maria the Alchemist, 'Utarid ibn Muhammad, and Ostanes. 

Readings/Bibliography

The seminar syllabus and the related materials will be available in the online platform Virtuale.

The syllabus will include both scholarly literature (e.g., John Holmyard, “An Alchemical Tract Acribed to Mary the Copt,” Archeion, 1927, 8: 161‒167 and L. Raggetti, “The Treasure of Alexander. Stories of Discovery and Authorship”, in Education Materialized. Reconstructing Teaching and Learning Contexts through Manuscripts, S. Brinkmann, G. Ciotti, S. Valente (eds.), Berlin: De Gruyter, 279‒314), and translations prepared ad hoc by the instructor.

Teaching methods

The course provides the students with the theoretical tools to engage in the reading and comment of primary sources in an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will be encouraged to follow their specific interests developed during the course, and to present the results of their individual or group research in class. In general, they will be invited to take active part to the discussion in class.

Assessment methods

Oral examination in which the student will be asked to display his or her knowledge of the contents dealt with during the seminar, as well as the ability to commento on the primary sources and link the different topics dealt with in class.

The Students who attend the course will be asked to chose a theme to explore in depth, either among those suggested as supplementary readings or to be arranged

Office hours

See the website of Lucia Raggetti