29926 - Etruscan Epigraphy (1) (2nd cycle)

Learning outcomes

Basic knowledge of etruscan language and of cultural and historical writing transmission dynamics.

Course contents

The course provides the main features for reading and understanding Etruscan inscriptions, through the diachronic analysis of the writing phenomenon in Etruria. The course consists of an in-depth study of the Etruscology and Italic Archeology, offering a perspective of specific research and capable of integrating the knowledge of the socio-political structures and cultural features of Etruscan civilization.

Program:

1) Brief overview of the problem of the Etruscan language and related languages.
2) The Etruscan inscriptions:
- diffusion of Etruscan writing
- sources and literature
- the alphabetic model and the alphabets
- arrival of writing in Italy
- writing systems
- teaching of writing
- palaeography
- the transmission of the writing practice to the other peoples  of pre-Roman Italy
4) The morphological and syntactic functions: the inflection of nouns and verbs.
6) Writing as a sign of social distinction: analysis of the main contexts that have given back the inscriptions of the Orientalizing phase. Reading and understanding of some inscriptions returned from the great princely funerary contexts. The origin of the Etruscan name system and the social structure in the Orientalizing phase. The epigraphy reveals the dynamics of exchanges and relations between the aristocratic groups in power: the practice of giving in Etruria.
7) The archaic phase and the advent of the demos: the epigraphic corpus of Orvieto and the analysis of the composition of the civic structure.
8) Epigraphic documentation from sanctuaries: forms, contents and value of votive inscriptions. The formation of the sacred lexicon. Epigraphy as a source for the reconstruction of worship practices. Analysis of some sacred contexts through epigraphic attestations. Reading and analysis of religious texts.
9) Etruscan epigraphy and society in the Hellenistic phase: reading and interpretation of texts.

Given the specificity of the course, attendance is highly recommended.

Readings/Bibliography

All the books are available at the library of the Department of History, Cultures and Civilization - Archaeology section, Piazza S. Giovanni in Monte, 2 Bologna

The study of the following texts is required:

- V. Bellelli-E. Benelli, Gli Etruschi. La scrittura, la lingua, la società, Roma 2018;

- Gli Etruschi maestri di scrittura. Società e cultura nell'Italia antica (Exhibition Catalogue), Milano 2016 (only the inscribed objects).

- For those students not attending classes also three of these books: H. Rix, La scrittura e la lingua, in M. Cristofani (ed.), Gli Etruschi una nuova immagine, 1984 (o successive ed.), pp. 199-227; D.F. Maras, Il dono votivo. Gli dei e il sacro nelle iscrizioni etrusche di culto, 2009 (solo la parte I, escluso il catalogo); E. Benelli, Lingua ed epigrafia, in G. Bartoloni (ed.), Introduzione all'Etruscologia, 2012, pp. 419-446; E. Benelli, Iscrizioni etrusche. Leggerle e capirle, 2007.

Teaching methods

The reading of the inscribed documents and the analysis of the related discovery contexts allow the student to fully understand the historical value of the texts in the broader framework of the Etruscan civilization. The teaching is organized in frontal lessons, the attendance of which is highly recommended. During the course, conferences will be reported and further readings will be recommended.

The traditional academic quarter of an hour is observed, except for different requirements discussed during the introductory lesson.

Students will also be able to integrate the course with practical laboratory activities within the training offers proposed by the Department of History Culture Civilization. In particular, the LEE - Etruscan Epigraphy Laboratory (https://site.unibo.it/zich/it) is an excellent opportunity to deepen through practical applications, visits to museums and group and individual works, the issues addressed during lessons. The Laboratory therefore constitutes the ideal completion of the Etruscan Epigraphy course. More generally, those interested are given the opportunity to experience excavation in the Etruscan city of Marzabotto, surveys in the Etruscan city of Spina and experiences of study, cataloging and design of archaeological materials. Please follow the web pages of the teacher for further updates on the training activities offered.

Assessment methods

The evaluation consists on an oral examination, during which the teacher is going to ask questions, related to those topics and inscriptions illustrated and debated at lectures and/or found in the bibliography.

The assessment of students is based on their ability to refer the acquired knowledge by using the field-specific terminology and by framing consistently a specific topic in its related period.

Those students who demonstrate to have a systematic perspective of topics covered during lectures and/or in the above-mentioned bibliography, mastering them critically, also by using field-specific terms, will be given a mark of excellence. A mnemonic knowledge of the subject with the ability to sinthetize/analize, with correct, although not always field-specific command of the language will be rewarded with a 'fair' mark. Those students who demonstrate minimal knowledge of the subject, showing gaps and/or inappropriate command of the specific language will be given a pass mark or just above the pass mark. Significant knowledge gaps, insufficient field-specific language, lack of those abilities to frame correctly the covered topics and to orientate themselves among the bibliographical materials will not be given a pass mark.

Teaching tools

During the lessons, use will be made of visual aids, in particular power points. Illustrative material will also be regularly distributed in class, to facilitate the reading and understanding of the inscriptions examined.

All course material will be uploaded and available on VIRTUALE.

Foreign students, students with special learning needs and students with disabilities will be supported during the course and in the preparation of the exam through individual interviews with the teacher, bibliography in a foreign language, concept maps. Please express personal needs from the beginning of the course or by contacting the teacher by e-mail.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Gaucci