Abstract
The crucial role of Greek studies in the building of Europe’s cultural identity is a well-established fact. It is equally clear that scholarship devoted to the transmission and reception of texts is no less important, both because it results in updated critical editions of ancient as well as Byzantine authors and because it shapes and nourishes cultural history and the history of ideas. The interaction of methodologies and tools taken from different, if complementary, disciplines, such as philology, textual history, codicology and palaeography, paves the way for durable and solid results. One cannot overestimate the momentuous contribution of the volumes of the Repertorium der griechischen Kopisten. 800-1600 (RGK). Published in Vienna by the Academy of Sciences, RGK is one of the most mature accomplishments of the second post-war period, an especially fruitful moment in the cultural and historical study of texts. It has become the most important bibliographical resource on the scribal activity 9th to 16th century across the east and the west. Yet, after dealing with the manuscripts preserved in the libraries of three areas (Great Britain, 1981; France, 1989; Rome and Vatican City, 1997), and collecting materials from libraries in central and eastern Europe (and making them available, albeit in unpublished form, in the Vienna Academy) the project was discontinued. So with our project, meeting a much felt need, we plan to continue the Repertorium (though expanding and reorganizing the entry structure), starting a systematical survey of Greek manuscripts found in Italian libraries, which amount to ca. 6, 500 (except the ca. 4, 700 in the Vatican Library). Led by major experts in the field, the three research units plan to make the most of the planned Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca MUR - BANDO 2022 two-year project by searching the library of Lombardy (Unit 1), Emilia Romagna (plus the National Library of Naples) (Unit 2), Triveneto (Unit 3). The planned outcome includes: the completion and staggered publication of the first volume of an inventory of Greek copyists in Italian libraries [Repertorio dei copisti greci nelle biblioteche d’Italia - RCG-Italy]; an image database; an online palaeographic album; the first of a series of supplementary volumes devoted to specific research questions. In terms of outreach, we plan a workshop, organized jointly by Unit 2 and 3, to be held in Bologna or in Udine, a final International Conference, organized by Unit 1 to be held in Milan, public talks hosted by libraries and partnerships with secondary schools with a view to promoting local cultural heritage.
Results achieved
The Bologna unit’s research activities contributed to the mapping of Greek copyists attested in collections held in the Emilia-Romagna region and in Naples. Alongside a critical review of the scholarly literature on known identifications, autoptic examination of the manuscripts led to new and significant attributions. The data collected – comprising palaeographical and codicological descriptions, as well as identification of copyists’ handwritings – were systematically organized. At the same time, a digital archive was progressively developed, containing images of the hands identified in the manuscripts analysed, both those of named scribes and anonymous ones. The unit contributed to the preparation of publications presenting the research findings, including the drafting of bio-bibliographical entries for the first volume of the Repertorio dei copisti greci (RCG-Italia), and its members also participated in the Workshop Copisti greci anonimi, riconosciuti, poco noti (Udine, 29-30 May 2025), organized by the Udine unit. At the Workshop, the unit’s members proposed new identifications of Greek scribes, including some copyists documented in the Biblioteca Universitaria and in the Biblioteca del Seminario Arcivescovile (Bologna), and offered a reassessment of the relevant bibliography. In addition, the Bologna unit organized the first meeting of the operational units (1º incontro delle Unità operative del Progetto RCG-Italia; Bologna, 17 June 2024), devoted to discussing the initial results and planning the subsequent activities. In collaboration with the Milan unit, it also organized the Project’s final Conference entitled Verso un Repertorio dei copisti greci nelle biblioteche d’Italia: bilancio e prospettive / Towards a Repertory of Greek Scribes in Italian Libraries: Assessment and Perspectives and held in Bologna and in Milan (15-17 December 2025). The conference brought together national and international scholars to assess the results achieved and discuss the future perspectives of the RCG-Italia initiative. In particular, it showcased new research on individual scribes, manuscript traditions, practices and milieux of copying, alongside methodological reflections aimed at developing a repertory of Greek scribes. Overall, the activities carried out by the Bologna unit advanced knowledge of the Greek manuscript heritage preserved in Emilia-Romagna and Naples, generated new palaeographical evidence, and fostered the development of tools, resources, and scholarly networks that will support future research on Greek scribes and manuscript culture.Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Giuseppe De Gregorio
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Filologia Classica e Italianistica
Coordinatore:
Università degli Studi di MILANO(Italy)
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 63.013,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
17/10/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
