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 guidelines for reading and understanding Etruscan inscriptions through a diachronic analysis of the phenomenon of writing in Etruria. It is designed as an in-depth study within the educational path of Etruscology, offering a specific investigative perspective that integrates knowledge of the socio-political structures and cultural characteristics of the Etruscan civilization.

The course program is divided into 6 structured blocks:

1. From Annio di Viterbo (15th century) to today: a brief history of epigraphic studies.

2. Morphological and syntactic functions: the inflection of nouns and verbs.

3. Epigraphic practice in the Etruscan world: the main tools for gaining a comprehensive understanding of the discipline will be provided. This will mainly cover the arrival of writing in Italy, the development and spread of Etruscan writing, the alphabetic model and alphabet lists, teaching practices, writing systems in use, and paleographic features. A brief overview of the transmission of writing practices to other pre-Roman Italian peoples will also be given. Additionally, the epigraphy of Lemnos Island (Greece) will be discussed, highlighting similarities and differences with Etruscan epigraphy.

4. Writing as a sign of social distinction: firstly, the analysis of the main contexts that have yielded inscriptions from the Orientalizing phase (730-580 BC) will be addressed. The epigraphy will reveal the dynamics of exchanges and relationships among the ruling aristocratic groups, with particular attention to the practice of gift-giving in Etruria. Furthermore, the origin of the Etruscan onomastic system and the social structure during this phase will be explored. At the conclusion of this block, the epigraphy of the Archaic phase (580-480 BC) will be introduced, correlating it with the advent of the demos. A prominent case study will be the epigraphic corpus of Orvieto and the analysis of the civic assembly's composition.

5. Writing and the sacred: the development processes of writing practices and related vocabulary in the sacred context will be examined, with special attention to the evolution of formulas and the value of votive inscriptions for reconstructing religious practices. Particular case studies such as Veio-Portonaccio, Gravisca, Pyrgi, and Kainua-Marzabotto will be thoroughly examined.

6. Writing and society between the 4th and 1st centuries BC: the main guidelines for the development of Etruscan epigraphy from the 4th to the 1st centuries BC, until the rise of Rome and the abandonment of epigraphic practices in Etruscan alphabet and language in favor of Latin, will be outlined. A case study will be emphasized to illustrate the multiple aspects of this final phase of Etruscan epigraphy.

For each block and during lecture hours, reading and interpretation activities of the most relevant Etruscan inscriptions will be included.

Considering the specific nature of the course, regular 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: study of the 4 essays within Caps. II-III and reading of the related records.

- For those students not attending classes also three of these books: H. Rix, La scrittura e la lingua, in M. Cristofani (a cura di), Gli Etruschi una nuova immagine, 1984 (o successive ed.), pp. 199-227; E. Benelli, Lingua ed epigrafia, in G. Bartoloni (a cura di), Introduzione all'Etruscologia, 2012, pp. 419-446; L. Rigobianco, Su numerus, genus e sexus. Elementi per una grammatica dell'etrusco, Roma 2013, pp. 11-36 (Cap. 1); 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.

Students who are affected by learning disability (DSA) and in need of special strategies to compensate it, are kindly requested to contact the Teacher, in order to be referred to the colleagues in charge and get proper advice and instructions.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Gaucci