OVERVIEW

Papyrus fragments may offer an extraordinary glimpse into the life of Greek-Roman Egypt. Learning how to read papyri, the methods and tools to understand their meaning opens great perspectives in history, archaeology, philology and many other fields.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching of "Papyrology" will provide a picture of Greek and Roman civilization, which emerges from the sources preserved in the Greek and Latin papyri, which, together with the wax tablets, parchments, ostraca and other writing supports, especially Egypt but also other isolated areas of the Near East and the West have preserved, for a period of time that goes from the fourth century. B.C. to the seventh century A.D.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching has as its aims: to provide students with the technical and methodological skills to know how to deal with the critical reading of literary and documentary papyri, to contextualize and know how to analyse papyri as historical, philological and literary sources; to make students understand the contribution of papyrology to our knowledge on the political, socio-economic and cultural life of Greek-Roman Egypt; to raise awareness on the material aspects of documents and libraries copies in antiquity; to encourage the development of active skills for deciphering, transcription and edition of papyri.

At the end of the class the student will have understood the definition of “papyrology” and the main lines of the history of the discipline; will be aware of the historical and cultural context of Greek-Roman Egypt; will know the writing materials and the archaeological contexts of papyrus findings; will be able to distinguish languages and scripts on papyri, at least for some given examples; will be able to read and understand a papyrological edition and apply the Leiden system to new transcriptions; will have competence in the use of the specialized terminology; will know how to use the main tools of the discipline, including the digital tools (primarily papyri.info, Trismegistos); will be able to appreciate the contribution of papyrology to other disciplines.

PREREQUISITES

Knowledge of ancient Greek is required, as well as notions of Greek and Roman history and classical literature

TEACHING METHODS

Combination of PowerPoint presentations, traditional lectures, and classroom exercises on papyri (conservation, transcription, use of IT tools), with the direct involvement of students.

Classes are held in presence. Attendance, although not compulsory, is recommended. No remote learning is available for this course.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The theoretical and methodological foundations of papyrology.

The papyri as historical sources on political, economic and cultural contexts in Greek-Roman Egypt.

IT tools applied to papyrology.

Exercises of transcription and critical reading on papyrus fragments preserved at the University of Genoa DAFIST Department.

Non-attending students are encouraged to contact the teacher (serena.perrone@unige.it).

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Oxford Handbook of Papyrology, ed. by R.S. Bagnall, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009 (study of the chapters 1-14, 16-18, 21-22, 25, 27; reading of the extant chapters)

Further documents will be provided in class and via AulaWeb

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

SERENA PERRONE (President)

VALERIA BACIGALUPO

VALERIA FONTANELLA (Substitute)

LARA PAGANI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

25 September 2023

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

As midterm test, students are required to prepare and submit in front of the classroom a 15 minutes oral presentation about an assigned papyrus (or another theme agreed upon with the teacher). Working groups are encouraged. This test will not be subject to assessment.

The exam is an oral interview to assess the acquisition of the theoretical and methodological aspects of the discipline and the ability to address the critical reading of some selected papyri (made available via Aulaweb).

Non-attending students are encouraged to contact the teacher (serena.perrone@unige.it).

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam consists of an interview about the theoretical and practical aspects of papyrology. In order to reach the basic threshold students should demonstrate their knowledge of the contribution of papyrological documentation in the historical-cultural context of Greco-Roman Egypt, and practical skills on the transcription system and papyrological tools. In order to reach an evaluation of excellence, students should demonstrate their ability to address the critical reading of selected papyri, deciphering the writing, understanding the text, and grasp significant aspects in an interdisciplinary perspective.

Exam schedule