75651 - History and Culture in Papyri (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students can use papyri of Greek, Roman and Byzantine period for historical research in an accomplished and correct way. They can write an updated commentary to texts based on updated bibliography and citing parallels of the same historical value with precise knowledge of the relations between the Egyptian evidences and the other sources of Ancient history. They are familiar with the digital research on papyri and have a critical understanding of the relationship between Greek and Roman civilization and other contemporary cultures of Egypt and the Near East.

Course contents

1) Greco-Roman, Byzantine and Arabic Egypt: Geographic and historical aspects; writing materials; places and contexts of finds; languages of the papyrological texts; administration, society and culture of the towns and villages in Egypt; archives and dossiers.

Bibliological and paleographical aspects of the writing materials; conservation and restoring.

Literary, semi-literary and documentary texts from the Ptolemaic times until the Arabic conquest: Material and textual genres and types.

2) Critical reading of significant texts illustrating particular aspects of the post-pharaonic Egypt.

Readings/Bibliography

Important:

Students who have never attended a course in Papyrology are advised to make use of  the following handbook as a preliminary tool: 

R. S. Bagnall (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Papyrology, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2009.

Students must read one of the following volumes:

R. S. Bagnall, Papiri e storia antica, Bardi Editore, Roma 2007.

P. Parsons, La scoperta di Ossirinco. La vita quotidiana in Egitto al tempo dei Romani, Carocci editore, Firenze 2014.

All the texts read and discussed during the course will be available in the web site.

Students who are not able to attend the lessons have to reach an agreement with the professor about an alternative program, and have to prepare besides the mentioned literature R. S. Bagnall (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Papyrology, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2009, pp. 3–78; 216–255; 358–394.

Teaching methods

Lessons are taught ex-cathedra as well as in form of seminarial teaching. Students are welcome to take active part in the lessons.

Assessment methods

The exam is oral. All students will be asked at least 3 questions: on general types of papyri, on the book chosen and on one of the texts commented at classes. The exam is passed if pupils answer correctly and in a proper way, reading, translating and commenting the texts and show knowledge the main features of the discipline. Outstanding knowledge of both the handbook and the texts is evaluated at the maximum; good knowledge and ability in the analysis of the texta, but more mnemonic can earn a good evaluation; a knowledge with some mistakes and misundertandings in the texts are sufficient to pass, serious lacunae in the knowledge of the handbook and no skills in the reading and interpretations of the texts do not allow to pass.

There are at least 6 possibilities per year to give the exam; the dates are published twice, normally in November for the first 4, and March-April for the last 2. All students must be listed on Almaesami and no students are allowed to give exams out of the public lists.

All students must be present at the call of the examination. No students are allowed to give exams out of the public lists.

Please check in advance if your administrative position is regular, otherwise you will not be admitted to the exam.

Teaching tools

The lessons will be held with Powerpoint presentations. Also original papyri of the Bologna collections will be studied. All texts commented on during the course will be available in IOL. 

Office hours

See the website of Fabian Lothar Walter Reiter