13328 - Greek Literature (1) (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student is familiar with a selection of texts from Greek literature in the original language and is able to analyse them from a historical, philosophical and literary point of view. He/she is oriented in the broader historical, social and literary context in which the ancient texts are set. He/she is competent about the authors of Greek literature and their time, and can recognise the relevance of complex themes and concepts in the ancient cultural debate.

Course contents

A - Module I: Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae (Prof. M. Ercoles).

B - Module II: Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis (Prof. M. De Poli).

C - (1) Comprehension and translation of Greek classical texts. (2) Texts to be translated by the students: anthology of Greek lyric poetry; Theocritus, Idyll 11 (Cyclops) (3) Knowledge of the history of ancient Greek literature; reading of one monography among those listed below. (4) Basic notions of metrics. (5) Basic notion of textual criticism. 

 

Optional seminars will be arranged between professors and students. A special course of Greek language for beginners will begin in October: it is strongly recommended also to those students who have a basic knowledge of Greek and want to strengthen it. The course will be divided into the following two modules:

1) Phonetics and morphology, which will be held by Dr Margherita Mongiovì and will take place in the first semester.

2) Syntax and translation, which will be held by Dr Elena Mencarelli and will take place in the second semester.

Further information and updates will be provided on this page and on the website for the Bachelor’s degree programme in Lettere.

 

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. 

Erasmus students are invited to get in touch with the lecturers at the end of the first week of the course for an interview on the course programme and the examination procedure.

Readings/Bibliography

A – An edition of Aristophanes' Thesmophoriazusae with Greek text. The critical editions of the text and further bibliography will be made available via the Virtual platform.

B – V. Andò, Euripide. Ifigenia in Aulide, Venezia (Lexis. Supplementi 4) 2021. Further bibliography will be made available via the Virtual platform.

The students who will attend the lessons are required to know the content of the lessons.

The students who will not attend the lessons must read and traslate also Lysias, Or. 12, Against Eratosthenes, one of the Thirties (recommended Italian translation: Lisia, Orazioni I-XV, introd., trad. e note di E. Medda, Milano, Rizzoli-BUR, 1991).

The students who will take a 6 credits examination do not need to prepare this part of the program (i.e. sections A and B).

 

C – (1) The following title is recommended: R. Pierini-R. Tosi, Capire il greco, Bologna (Pàtron) 2014 (with some practical examples of how to translate a text). Another useful tool for Greek grammatic is C. Neri, Μέθοδος. Corso di lingua e cultura greca, with the collab. of G. Alvoni-R. Batisti-M. Olivieri, Firenze (d’Anna) 2018, including a special section on Greek lexicon. For Greek lexicon, see also G. Ugolini, Lexis. Lessico della lingua greca per radici e famiglie di parole, Bologna (Patron) 2018.

(2) As for Greek lyric, the requested authors are Archilochus, Hipponax, Mimnermus, Solon, Sappho, Alcaeus, Anacreon, Stesichorus. Recommended anthology: C. Neri, Lirici greci. Età arcaica e classica, Roma (Carocci) 2011 (reissued several times). For Lucian, it is recommended the following Italian edition: Luciano. Dialoghi di dei e cortigiane, a c. di A. Lami-F. Maltomini, Milano (BUR-Rizzoli) 1986, pp. 256-260. Students who will take 6 credits examination can agree with the teacher some changes. 

(3) For the history of Greek literature, the students can consult Letteratura consigliata: E. Magnelli-E. Medda-C. Neri, Storia della letteratura greca. Dalle origini all’età tardoantica, Roma 2025. For the critical reading, here is a list of suggested volumes (other readings can be arranged with the teachers): V. Di Benedetto, Euripide. Teatro e società, Torino (Einaudi) 1971; M. Vetta, Poesia e simposio nella Grecia antica, Roma-Bari (Laterza) 1983; V. Di Benedetto-E. Medda, La tragedia sulla scena, Torino (Einaudi) 1997; H. Fränkel, Poesia e filosofia della Grecia arcaica, Bologna (Il Mulino) 1997; M. Di Marco, La tragedia greca, Roma (Carocci) 2000; M. Vetta (ed.), La civiltà greca, Roma (Carocci) 2001; E.R. Dodds, I Greci e l’irrazionale, nuova ed. italiana a c. di R. Di Donato, Milano (Rizzoli) 2003; M. Vegetti, Quindici lezioni su Platone, Torino (Einaudi) 2003; B. Gentili, Poesia e pubblico nella Grecia antica. Da Omero al V secolo, Milano (Feltrinelli) 2006⁴; B. Powell, Omero, Bologna (Il Mulino) 2006; G. Cerri, La poetica di Platone. Una teoria della comunicazione, Lecce (Argo) 2007⁴; B. Zimmermann, La commedia greca. Dalle origini all'età ellenistica, Roma (Carocci) 2010; C. Calame, I Greci e l’eros, Roma-Bari (Laterza) 2010; F. Condello, Elettra. Storia di un mito, Roma (Carocci) 2011; A. Rodighiero, Generi lirico-corali nella produzione drammatica di Sofocle, Tübingen (Narr) 2012; E. Medda, La saggezza dell'illusione. Studi sul teatro greco, Pisa (ETS) 2013; A. Ercolani-P. Xella, La Sapienza nel Vicino Oriente e nel Mediterraneo antichi. Antologia di testi, Roma (Carocci) 2013; G. Ugolini-D. Lanza, Storia della filologia classica, Roma (Carocci) 2016; L. Canfora, Tucidide. La menzogna, la colpa, l’esilio, Roma-Bari (Laterza) 2016; S. Fornaro, Un uomo senza volto. Introduzione alla lettura di Luciano di Samosata, Bologna (Pàtron) 2019; L. Floridi, Voci e silenzi di Briseide, Bologna (Pàtron) 2024; A. Fongoni, 'Rammollita, contorta, disarticolata'. Nuova musica e teatro ad Atene nel V-IV secolo a.C., Soveria Mannelli (Rubbettino) 2025. Further titles will be recommended during the lessons.

(4) For the basic notions of Greek metric (prosody; dactylic hexameter, iambic trimeter, trochaic tetrameter) the study of the following handbook is required: M.C. Martinelli, Gli strumenti del poeta. Elementi di metrica greca, Bologna, Cappelli, 1997. 

(5) For the basic notions of textual criticim the students are required to consult di M. Scialuga, Introduzione allo studio della filologia classica, Alessandria (Edizioni Dell'Orso) 2005.

Teaching methods

The lessons will be carried out as a seminar and students will face exegetical problems of Greek texts. Further lessons will be arranged with students. The materials provided during the lectures will be made accessible and downloadable from Virtuale. Further support teaching will be decided together with the students.

The course participates in the University’s project of teaching experimentation.

Assessment methods

Oral examination. As for C.1, the student must recognize the structure of a Greek phrase from a classical text. The knowledge of Greek Literature is considered preliminary. The final mark will range between 18 and 30: the professors will evaluate the ability to translate and analyse a text of ancient Greek literature (30-29 excellent; 28-27 very good; 26-25 good; 24-22 fair; 21-20 more than sufficient; 19-18 sufficient). The mark 30 cum laude indicates excellent skills combined with personal critical contributions. NB: a translation learned by heart is not a synonym for comprehension: in order to understand texts, the ability to analyse them and identify their structure plays a crucial role. An exam whose preparation is based on learnt-by-heart translations is deemed negative.

Exam sessions. Students enrolled in the 2025/2026 academic year must register for the exam sessions published by Prof. Alvoni.

 

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.

Teaching tools

Photocopies, blackboard, mailing list, digital resources. At the request of students, lectures may be recorded and made available on Virtual.

Office hours

See the website of Marco Ercoles