90096 - West Medieval Manuscript

Learning outcomes

The course focuses on the sudy of the latin and vernacular manuscript in its codicological and graphic features, between Classical Antiquity and Renaissance. At the end of the course students deeply know forms and shapes of West Medieval manuscript, and the specific methodologies of the palaeography and codicology. They acquire a critical knowledge of the writing history and they are also able to locate and date the manuscripts.

Course contents

The course aims to retrace the history of the manuscript book in the Latin alphabet and in the Latin and vulgar languages, starting from the oldest attestations of archaic Rome until the time of printing, with the aim of illustrating the forms, models and production techniques of the ancient and medieval book and to show, also, its role in the production and circulation of culture. With reference to these aspects, forms of commissioning and of reading will be deeply investigated.

In addition to the material aspects of the book, specific attention will be devoted to book writing, which will be studied in its historical profile and with reference to the main handwriting, also in relation to the textual typologies.The course includes theoretical and practical lessons, the latter articulated on discussion topics and reading exercises of facsimiles of manuscripts. The reading will aim to guide the student in the recognition, dating and location of the manuscript, allowing him to frame the book in his historical context.

Topics of the course:

• the writing supports and writing instruments in Mediterranean civilizations

• the manuscript in book form: materials, techniques and production areas• the writing and the writing for the commission: the scribe, and the organization of the copy work

• the recipients of the copy: ways of reading, the transmission of texts

• the writings: introduction to paleography and its methods, the main book handwriting• typologies of books and texts: some examples

• bibliographic tools

Readings/Bibliography

A. Petrucci, Prima lezione di paleografia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1992. 

M. Maniaci, Breve storia del libro manoscritto, Roma, Carocci, 2019.

P. Cherubini, La scrittura latina: storie, forme, usi, Roma, Carocci, 2020

Materials discussed in class available on the Virtuale platform

Bibliography for non attending students:

G. Cavallo, Dallo "scriptorium senza biblioteca alla biblioteca senza "scriptorium", in Dall'eremo al cenobio: la civiltà monastica in Italia dalle origini all'età di Dante, Milano, Libri Scheiwiller, 1987, pp. 331-424.

A. Petrucci, Prima lezione di paleografia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1992.

G. Cavallo (a cura di), Libri e lettori nel Medioevo. Guida storica e critica, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2016 (7a ed), o ed. precedente.

A. Petrucci, Storia e geografia delle culture scritte (dal secolo XI al secolo XVIII), in A. Petrucci, Letteratura italiana: una storia attraverso la scrittura, Roma, Carocci, 2017, cap. VI (pp. 127-246)

M. Maniaci, Breve storia del libro manoscritto, Roma, Carocci, 2019.

P. Cherubini, La scrittura latina: storie, forme, usi, Roma, Carocci, 2020.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons.  Educational visits as well as lessons in the most important libraries of Ravenna and Bologna are planned in order to provide practice with original book manuscripts.

Assessment methods

The oral exam aims at assessing the critical knowledge of the recommended readings as well as of the topics discussed during the lessons.

It will be evaluated very positive or positive the student's ability to demonstrate the acquired knowledge in a personal and critical way, using an appropriate language.

More than sufficient will be evaluated the mnemonic knowledge, expressed with conciveness, in a correct language but not very appropriate.

Sufficient will be evaluated the basic knowledge expressed with inappropriate language.

Insufficient will be evaluated the incomplete knowledge of the readings, the incorrect and inappropriate language, the inability to manage bibliographies and texts analized during the lessons.

For non attending students the assessement methods will refer only to bibliography

Teaching tools

The lectures will benefit from the use of Power Point and access to digitised manuscript collections on the web.

The materials used in the courses are available on the digital platform Virtuale (http://virtuale.unibo.it).


Students who, for reasons dependent on disabilities or specific learning disorders, need compensatory tools can inform the teacher of their needs so that they can be directed to the contact persons and agree on the most appropriate measures to be taken.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Degni