30109 - Greek Institutions (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

Students will learn how to arrange and update knowledge concerning some of the most important public and private Greek institutions. They will learn how to use different historical sources (literary, documentary, archaeological, iconographic) and how to select the most appropriate methodologies for the explanation and the interpretation of data.

Course contents

1. Sources and tools for the study of Greek institutions (lectures 1-2).

2. Institutions of the Hellenistic age: the legacy of the institutions of Classical Athens, the reception of the Athenian model in the Hellenistic cities, the institutions of Hellenistic kingdoms, and the forms of communication between kings and cities.

Training for institutional topics will be offered through:

a. the analysis of selected inscriptions concerning the institutions of the Hellenistic age (lectures 3-10);

b. a collaborative exercise concerning an epigraphic source of the Hellenistic age assigned by the teacher and to be presented by the students during the course (lectures 11-15).

A detailed list of inscriptions and sources will be provided in the first lecture and will be included among the teaching materials online (cf. virtuale.unibo.it).

It should be noted that knowledge of ancient Greek language (reading and understanding a text with the dictionary or at least understanding the correspondence with the translations offered), if not already acquired, must be reached before the oral examination.

First lesson: Novembre 8, 2023; last lesson: December 12, 2023.

Readings/Bibliography

Students who have no prior knowledge of Hellenistic history are invited to read F. Muccioli, Storia dell'ellenismo, Il Mulino, Bologna 2019 (in particular pp. 23-171) or A. Chaniotis, Età di conquiste. Il mondo greco da Alessandro ad Adriano, Hoepli, Milano 2019 (in particular pp. 11-240).

Attending students are required to study the followings:

1. M. Bettalli, M. Giangiulio (a cura di), Atene, vivere in una città antica, Carocci, Roma 2023, from chapter 1 to chapter 7, and chapter 11.

2. M. Mari (a cura di), L'età ellenistica. Società, politica, cultura, Carocci, Roma 2019, from chapter 1 to chapter 7.

3. Ph. Gauthier, Les cités hellénistiques, in M.H. Hansen (ed.), The Ancient Greek City-state, Copenhagen 1993, pp. 211-231 or M. Mari, Città greche di età ellenistica. Un modello unico?, «Rationes Rerum» 20, 2022, pp. 247-269.

4. Inscriptions and sources analyzed during the course (cf. virtuale.unibo.it).

Students who won't be able to attend lectures must study:

1. M. Bettalli, M. Giangiulio (a cura di), Atene, vivere in una città antica, Carocci, Roma 2023, from chapter 1 to chapter 12.

2. M. Mari (a cura di), L'età ellenistica. Società, politica, cultura, Carocci, Roma 2019, from chapter 1 to chapter 8.

3. Ph. Gauthier, Les cités hellénistiques, in M.H. Hansen (ed.), The Ancient Greek City-state, Copenhagen 1993, pp. 211-231 or M. Mari, Città greche di età ellenistica. Un modello unico?, «Rationes Rerum» 20, 2022, pp. 247-269.

4. C. Antonetti – S. De Vido (a cura di), Iscrizioni greche. Un'antologia, Carocci, Roma 2017, text and commentary of inscriptions nos. 32, 37, 52, 53, 57, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70. 

Bibliographic resources are available at the DiSCi Library of Ancient History (Bologna, via Zamboni 38).

Teaching methods

The course will be taught in seminar format, with active participation of the students during the lectures and also practical training – through a discussion/presentation test prepared and carried out in small groups on an ancient epigraphic source – in the identification of institutional problems and realities and their analysis.

Those who never studied ancient Greek language and alphabet before are strongly recommended to start immediately. The knowledge of ancient Greek will be strengthened through the reading of selected inscriptions.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

The oral examination will test the knowledge of the course contents (including selected inscriptions) and of the individual study texts. It will take place in two steps:

1. two questions about the individual study texts with discussion of related problems;

2. students will be required to read, translate and explain one of the Greek inscriptions studied during the course and to answer a question about the lessons' contents (a non-attendant student will be required to read, translate and explain one of the Greek inscriptions listed at point 4 of the section Readings/Bibliography and selected from Iscrizioni greche. Un'antologia).

The assessment will test:

- the basic knowledge of the discipline;

- the critical approach to ancient sources and modern historiographical interpretations;

- the ability to communicate orally, in particular skills in synthesis and in logical organization of the topics and the mastery of an appropriate vocabulary.

If the student achieves a complete vision of the topics discussed in class and required for the discipline, provides an effective critical commentary, shows mastery of expression and of the specific language he obtains very good or excellence in the evaluation.

Average marks (satisfactory-good) will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology or contents.

An incomplete command of contents and/or inappropriate language and terminology, albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the course material, will lead to a 'pass' mark.

A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he displays significant errors in his understanding and failure to grasp the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.

Students enrolled in the course as part of an Integrated Course (I.C.) are required to pass the oral examination of the two parts – Greek Epigraphy (1) (LM) and Greek Institutions (1) (LM) – in the same date (the final grade will result from the arithmetic average of the marks obtained in the two parts).

Teaching tools

Original sources and additional bibliography will be supplied online (cf. virtuale.unibo.it).

Ancient Greek literacy courses are offered at FICLIT: see https://corsi.unibo.it/laurea/lettere/greco-zero-alfabetizzazione-al-greco-antico.

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students.

Office hours

See the website of Alice Bencivenni