29942 - History of the Ancient Greek Language (1) (LM)

Academic Year 2025/2026

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the students acquire specific skills in the analysis and interpretation of texts selected from the archaic age to the formation of the so-called 'common language' that then developed into Modern Greek. They improve: a) their ability to recognise the proper historical setting of a Greek text or document; b) their methodological skills to analyse a text from a historical and linguistic point of view and to establish its relations with other texts and cultural products.

Course contents

1) Through the reading of various passages taken from archaic epic poetry, the so-called “lyric poetry”, tragedy, comedy, prose and κοινή, we will undertake a diachronic study of the lexicon relating to the so-called “rites of passage” in the ancient world, with a focus on “tribal initiation rites”.

2) After a review of the main Greek dialects, the different literary languages will be studied (Homeric language, the language of the “lyric poets”, tragedy, comedy, Ionian-Attic prose and κοινή).

Readings/Bibliography

In addition to the notes, students are required to

1) read in Greek the texts in the dossier that will be distributed during the course, with metrical analysis for epic and Aeolic poetry;

2) with regard to rites of passage, read

  • A. van Gennep, I riti di passaggio, Torino 2012;
  • F. Graf, Initiation: a concept with a troubled history, in D.B. Dodd-Ch. Faraone (eds.), Initiation in Ancient Greek Rituals and Narratives, London-New York 2003, 3-24;
  • A. Brelich, Paides e parthenoi, Roma 1969, 13-44, 113-126.
  • C. Calame, Les Chœurs de jeunes filles en Grèce ancienne, Paris 2019, 77ff., 439-449;
  • P. Vidal-Naquet, Il cacciatore nero e l’origine dell'efebia ateniese, in Id., Il cacciatore nero. Forme di pensiero e forme d’articolazione sociale nel mondo greco antico, Italian translation, Torino 1988, 99-122;

3) regarding the history of literary languages, reading

  • the handout that will be distributed in class;
  • A. Meillet, Lineamenti di storia della lingua greca, Italian translation, Torino 20033, 151-407.

 

The following are also useful for preparation

  • O. Hoffmann, A. Debrunner, A. Scherer, Storia della lingua greca, Italian translation, Napoli 1969.
  • L. R. Palmer, Greek Language, London 1980.
  • A. C. Cassio (ed.), Storia delle lingue letterarie greche, Firenze 20162.

For historical morphology, please refer to

  • P. Chantraine, Morphologie historique de la langue grecque, Paris 19612.
  • V. Garulli, C. Neri, Morfologia e storia del greco antico, Roma 2024.

Teaching methods

The lectures will be mainly face-to-face, especially the institutional part of the course on the main characteristics of the literary languages of ancient Greece. More seminar-like will be the section involving the annotated reading of passages related to the rites of passage.

The materials indicated in the course of the lectures will be made accessible and downloadable on the web (Virtuale).

The course participates in the University's teaching experimentation project.

Assessment methods

The exam will consist of an interview in which, on the one hand, the ability to translate, read metrically (where required) and comment on the dossier of texts covered in class will be assessed; on the other hand, knowledge of the characteristics of the literary languages of ancient Greece and those relating to the subject of the monographic course will be tested.

The assessment will take into account the accuracy, completeness and articulation of the answers according to the following scale: excellent answers 30-30L, very good 27-29, good 24-26, fair: 21-23, satisfactory 18-20.

 

Students with learning disabilities or disabilities are advised to contact the relevant university office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti): any adjustments must be submitted at least 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess their appropriateness in relation to the course objectives.

Teaching tools

PC, photocopies, IOL, Power point

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Caciagli