29942 - History of the Ancient Greek Language (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The students are expected to acquire specific skills in the analysis and interpretation of texts selected from the whole history of the Greek language (from the archaic age to the formation of the so-called 'common language' that then developed into Modern Greek).
Through a direct analysis of textual specimens the pupils are expected to improve: a) their ability to recognise the proper historical setting of a Greek text or document and to reconstruct both synchronically and diachronically its textual tradition; b) their methodological skills to analyse a text from a historical and linguistic point of view and to establish its relations with other texts and cultural products.
The students will prove their meeting of these goals by producing an essay on one text and giving a presentation of their work to the class.
The students will come in contact with the main tools of the ‘philological practice' (reading of papyruses and manuscripts on microfilm, consulting textual and bibliographical databases, paper and IT tools of documentation and analysis indexes), refining thus their skills in the textual analysis of ancient texts.

Course contents

Special focus course ('corso monografico')

a) πλοῦτος and πενία: poors and riches in Greek literature from Homer to Christianity.

Core course ('parte istituzionale')

b) General rudiments of History of the Greek Language

Lectures Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 16-18, Sala Pasoli (1.10.2014-5.11.2014).

Start date: 1.10.2014 (I semestre).

Office Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9-13 (at Dept.).

Links: http://www.unibo.it/docenti/camillo.neri
http://www2.classics.unibo.it/Didattica/Programs/20142015/Neri/

Readings/Bibliography

a) Notes from the lectures. Two books (or one book and three essays in review) in the following list: M. Gadelle, Riches et pauvres chez les orateurs attiques, «BFS» XIV (1935/1936) 17; A.N. Marlow, Poetry and poverty in the ancient world, «HibJ» LV (1956/1957) 8-13; V. D'Agostino, Sul concetto di povertà e di richezza negli scrittori antichi, «RSC» V (1957) 236-247; N.W. Porteous, The care of the poor in the Old Testament, in J.I. McCord-T.H.L. Parker (edd.), Service in Christ. «Essays presented to Karl Barth on his 80th birthday», London 1966, 27-36; E. Méron, La paysannerie pauvre d'après Euripide et Ménandre. Un même sujet, deux attitudes opposées, «BAGB» (1972) 57-69; O. Langwitz Smith, Poverty in Theognis, «MT» XXIV (1974) 23-33; J. Leclercq, Aux origines bibliques du vocabulaire de la pauvreté, in M. Mollat (ed.), Études sur l'histoire de la pauvreté (Moyen Age-XVIe siècle), Paris 1974, 35-43; A. Fuks, The conditions of riches (πλοῦτος) and of poverty (πενία) in Plato's Republic, «RSA» VI/VII (1976/1977) 63-73; A. Fuks, Plato and the social question. The problem of poverty and riches in the Republic, «AncSoc» VIII (1977) 49-83; A.H. Sommerstein, Aristophanes and the demon poverty, «CQ» XXXIV (1984) 314-333; M. Capozza, Ricchezza e povertà in Diodoro. Note di lettura dei libri 28-40, «Index» XIII (1985) 135-155; L. Canfora, L'invidia dei poveri durante le guerre servili siciliane, «Index» XIII (1985) 157-161; P. Christophe, Les pauvres et la pauvreté, I. Des origines au xve siècle, Paris 1985; G. Visonà, Povertà, sequela, carità. Orientamenti nel cristianesimo dei primi secoli, in AA. VV., Per foramen acus. Il cristianesimo antico di fronte alla pericope evangelica del Giovane ricco, Milano 1986, 3-78; Lellia Cracco Ruggini, Povertà e ricchezza nel cristianesimo antico, «Athenaeum» LXV (1987) 547-552; Lucille F. Newman (et al.) (edd.), Hunger in History. Food Shortage, Poverty, and Deprivation, Oxford 1990; O. Longo, La carne del povero: l'economia del sacrificio in Menandro, «Samia» 399-404, «AAPat» CIII (1990/1991) 57-61; V.J. Rosivach, Some Athenian presuppositions about the poor, «G&R» XXXVIII (1991) 189-198; A. Maggi, Padre dei poveri: traduzione e commento delle Beatitudini e del Padre nostro di Matteo, I. Le Beatitudini, Assisi 1995; E. Lévy, Richesse et pauvreté dans le «Ploutos», «Ktèma» XXII (1997) 201-212; P.A. Cavallero, Teognis, un aristócrata ante el problema de la pobreza, «Circe» VI (2001) 65-80; W. Desmond, The Greek praise of poverty: a genealogy of early Cynicism, Diss. Yale 2001; María Estela Guevara de Álvarez, Pobreza y vergüenza en la sabiduría proverbial homérica, «REC» XXX (2001) 87-95; Maria S. Marsilio, Hesiod and Theognis on poverty, «CB» LXXVIII (2002) 131-152; J.L. Sanchis Llopis, Pobres y ricos en la comedia griega (tres ejemplos en Cratino, Aristófanes y Menandro), «SPhV» VI (2002/2003) 139-156; L. Belloni, «Povertà» e «ricchezza» nel «Corpus Theocriteum»: in margine al testo degli Ἀλιεῖς, in L. Belloni-Lia De Finis-Gabriella Moretti (edd.), L'officina ellenistica. Poesia dotta e popolare in Grecia e a Roma, Trento 2003, 269-300; P.A. Cavallero, Πενία. Los intelectuales de la Grecia clásica ante el problema de la pobreza, Buenos Aires 2003; B.A. Ault, Housing the poor and the homeless in ancient Greece, in B.A. Ault, Housing the poor and the homeless in ancient Greece, in B.A. A.-Lisa C. Nevett (edd.), Ancient Greek Houses and Households. Chronological, Regional, and Social Diversity, Philadelphia 2005, 140-159; P.A. Cavallero, La literatura griega como «parrhesia» de los pobres, «QUCC» N.S. LXXXII (2006) 159-183; W.D. Desmond, The Greek Praise of Poverty. Origins of Ancient Cynicism, Notre Dame (Ind.) 2006; G. Tomassi, L'allegoria di Penia nel «Timone» di Luciano, «ARF» IX (2007) 109-124; V. Neri, Povertà, criminalità e disordine sociale nella tarda antichità, in G. Urso (ed.), Ordine e sovversione nel mondo greco e romano. «Atti del convegno internazionale. Cividale del Friuli, 25-27 settembre 2008», Pisa 2009, 193-206; Stefan Knoch, Beobachtungen zu Armut und Armen bei Platon und Aristoteles, Cicero und Seneca, «Klio» XCII (2010) 305-330; Ludovica Radif, Ristrutturazione del «Pluto» nella commedia umanistica «Penia», «Maia» LXII (2010) 79-90; G. Tomassi, L'allegoria di Pluto in Luciano, «Aevum» LXXXIV (2010) 251-268; B.W. Longenecker, Remember the Poor: Paul, Poverty, and the Greco-Roman World, Grand Rapids (Mich.) 2010; G. Bady-C. Bouchet-M. Cassin (et al.) (edd.), Riches et pauvres dans l'Église ancienne: Clément d'Alexandrie, Basile de Césarée, Grégoire de Nazianze, Grégoire de Nysse, Jean Chrysostome, Ambroise de Milan, Augustin d'Hippone, Paris 2011; Carmela Pennacchio, Donne povere e povere donne, l'altra faccia della povertà: da Ulpiano a Giustiniano, in A. Maffi-L. Gagliardi (edd.), I diritti degli altri in Grecia e a Roma, Sankt Augustin 2011, 90-127; Maria Grazia Mara, Richezza e povertà nel cristianesimo primitivo, «Impegno e dialogo» III (1986) 5-18. Further bibliography on the discussed texts will be provided during the lectures.

b) Notes from the lectures. One essay in the following list: O. Hoffmann-A. Debrunner-A. Scherer, Storia della lingua greca, trad. it. Napoli, Macchiaroli, 1969; A. Meillet, Lineamenti di storia della lingua greca, trad. it. Torino, Einaudi, 1981 (2a ed.); L.R. Palmer, Greek Language, London, Faber, 1980; V. Pisani, Storia della lingua greca, Torino, Sei, 1960; L. Heilmann, Grammatica storica della lingua greca, Torino, Sei, 1963; O. Szemerényi, Introduzione alla linguistica indoeuropea, a c. di G. Boccali-V. Brugnatelli-M. Negri, Milano, Unicopli, 1985, F. Villar, Gli indoeuropei e le origini dell'Europa, trad. it. Bologna, il Mulino, 1997; W.P. Lehmann, La linguistica indoeuropea. Storia, problemi e metodi, trad. it. Bologna, il Mulino, 1999.

Teaching methods

After some introductory lectures by the teacher and the specimen analysis of selected texts, the lectures will be carried out by the students themselves as presentations (which will test thus the abilities they have developed through the course); the sessions will have a seminar-like form and meant to be moments of real common research, with the familiarisation and the use of the main philological tools (traditional and data processing).
All the material handed out in the lectures will be available afterwards on line at http://www2.classics.unibo.it/Didattica/Programs/20142015/Neri/

Assessment methods

A first assessment will be carried out to begin with in the individual presentations and in the seminars, where the students will be able auto-assess their learning.
The viva voce examination consists of a conversation in which the teacher, through a series of questions, will test the theoretical knowledge and the theoretical-practical methodologies as explained in the lectures.
The students who will not have given a presentation to the class will be required to carry out a linguistic analysis of some texts in the viva voce.

Teaching tools

PC, video projector, overhead projector, photocopied handouts.

Links to further information

http://www.unibo.it/docenti/camillo.neri

Office hours

See the website of Camillo Neri