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

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, through the reading of texts, students will acquire a basic knowledge of Etruscan grammar and vocabulary. They will understand the significance of Etruscan inscriptions in relation to historical reconstruction and social structures and will gain the critical tools necessary for an accurate interpretation of archaeological documentation.

Course contents

The course provides the main guidelines for reading and understanding Etruscan inscriptions within their archaeological and historical context, through a diachronic analysis of the phenomenon of writing. The course serves as an in-depth module within the curriculum on Etruscology, offering a specific perspective of investigation capable of integrating the knowledge of the socio-political structures and cultural characteristics of Etruscan civilization.

The course program is divided into 6 structured blocks:

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

2. Epigraphic practice in the Etruscan world: the main tools for a comprehensive understanding of the discipline will be provided. Topics will include the arrival of writing in Italy, the development and spread of Etruscan writing, the alphabetic model and abecedaries, teaching practices, the writing systems in use, and palaeographic features. During this introductory section, the epigraphy of the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea will also be addressed, highlighting its similarities and differences with Etruscan epigraphy and related methodological issues.

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

4. Writing and society

• Late 8th–7th centuries BC: the main classes of inscribed documents from the Orientalizing period (730–580 BC) and their archaeological contexts will be illustrated. The role of epigraphy in revealing the dynamics of exchanges and relationships among ruling groups will be explored, with particular attention to the practice of gift-giving. The formation dynamics of the Etruscan onomastic system and the social structure of this phase will be examined.

• 6th–5th centuries BC: the main changes in epigraphic practice and society will be introduced, as well as the emergence of institutions documented in this period. Prominent case studies will include the epigraphic corpus of Orvieto for the Archaic period and that of Bologna for the 5th century BC.

• 4th–1st centuries BC: the main guidelines for the development of Etruscan epigraphy during the Hellenistic period and up to the abandonment of epigraphic practice in the Etruscan language and alphabet in favor of Latin will be outlined. The focus will be primarily on the structure of onomastics and institutions.

1. Writing and the sacred: the development of writing practices and related vocabulary in the religious sphere will be addressed, with particular attention to the evolution of formularies and the value of votive inscriptions for reconstructing cult practices from the 6th century BC onwards. Special attention will be given to selected case studies and their archaeological contexts: Veii-Portonaccio, Gravisca, Pyrgi, and Kainua-Marzabotto.

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

Given the specific nature of the course, attendance is strongly 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;

- E. Benelli, Formazione delle scritture alfabetiche in Italia centrale. Riflessioni sul caso dell'etrusco e alfabeti connessi, in Palaeohispanica 2020, pp. 103-128 (DOI: 10.36707/palaeohispanica.v0i20.391);

- V. Belfiore, Etrusco, in Palaeohispanica 2020, pp. 199-262 (DOI: 10.36707/palaeohispanica.v0i20.382).

- 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); 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.

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.

Attending lectures will make it easier to pass the examination. A student who attends at least 75% of the lectures is considered to be attending.

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.

Exam sessions:

During I semester and mid-II semester of a.y. 2025/26, exam sessions are scheduled in the following days:

- 12/11/2025;

- 17/12/2025;

- 12/01/2026;

- 26/01/2026;

- 16/03/2026

Teaching tools

During the lessons, use will be made of visual aids, in particular presentations. Illustrative material will be regularly distributed through the presentations to facilitate reading and understanding of the inscriptions examined during the course.

All course material will be uploaded and available on VIRTUALE.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

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