Classics

Convivial Fights and Iambic-scommatic Motifs in the 18th Book of the Odyssey It is in the symposium of the achaic age that the contrast between praise (epainos) and blame poetry (psogos) is recorded, conveyed respectively through the use of the elegiac distich and the iambic trimeter. However, earlier on, Homer already seems to recognise the idea of mockery in convivial contexts, although neither the Iliad nor the Odyssey yet features a symposium institution of the type documented in archaic lyric poetry. This is evident in Book XIX of the Odyssey, where Odysseus, wandering under a cloak of disguise in Ithaca’s palace, is first forced to batle with the beggar Iro and then to respond to the insults of the Suitors, who provoke him both verbally and physically. This Book XIX will be the object of reading and study during the course, not only from a content standpoint but also in terms of form. We will therefore proceed to reading some texts from archaic Greek lyric poetry to illustrate the mechanism of psogos, emphasising the link between iambus and comedy already recognised by Aristotle. During the lessons devoted to the study of language, aspects of the history of the Greek language (the transition from Indo-European to Greek), its literary dialects (in particular Homeric Greek), and metre (the dactylic hexameter) will be covered. Finally, students will be required to read a selection of texts from Greek lyric poetry and a portion of Book I of Herodotus’ Histories.

Students are required to have a basic knowledge of Greek. The notions of morphology and syntax learned during the first two years of secondary school (IV and V gymnasium: Liceo Classico) must be studied again in a school textbook at the student's choice.

Testi in lingua greca/commenti • Omero, Odissea. Libro XVIII (lettura in greco). Ediz. e commento di riferimento: J. Russo, Omero. Odissea, vol. V: libri XVII-XX. Traduzione di G. Aurelio Privitera, Milano (Mondadori - Fondazione Lorenzo Valla) 1985. • Erodoto, Storie, Libro I, capp. 1-122 (lettura in greco). Ediz. di riferimento: D. Asheri, Erodoto, I: La Lidia e la Persia, Milano (Mondadori - Fondazione Lorenzo Valla ) 1988 • Scelta dai poeti lirici (lettura in greco). Ediz. di riferimento: E. Degani – G. Burzacchini - G. Magnani, Lirici Greci, Bologna (Patron) 2005: tutti i frammenti ivi riportati dei seguenti autori: Archiloco, Ipponatte, Tirteo, Mimnermo, Solone, Saffo, Alceo, Anacreonte, Stesicoro. Manuali /grammatiche di riferimento/articoli • L.E. Rossi, Letteratura Greca, Firenze (Le Monnier) 1995 (ediz. fuori-commercio: fotocopie in vendita presso la copisteria Copy Net, Via degli Irpini, 10) • Una grammatica ginnasiale a scelta dello studente. È raccomandato, comunque, lo studio di: D. Pieraccioni, Morfologia storica della lingua greca, Messina - Firenze (D'Anna) 1954 • R. Cantarella - G. Scarpat, Breve Introduzione ad Omero, Città di Castello (Dante Alighieri) 1989, pp. 119-126 + 168-248 • O. Longo, Elementi di Grammatica Storica e Dialettologia Greca, Padova (Cleup) 1987, pp. 1-102 (fotocopie in vendita presso: copisteria Copy Net, Via degli Irpini, 10) • L.E. Rossi, Breve Introduzione alla Metrica Greca e Latina, Roma 1999, pp. 1-12, 16-20, 25-27 (fotocopie in vendita presso: copisteria Copy Net, Via degli Irpini, 10) • M. Sonnimo, Un’ipotesi di sfida nella silloge teognidea: a proposito di Thgn 993-1002, in M. Lazzeri (a cura di), Φιλοτησία. Scritti in ricordo si Silvio M. Medaglia, Lecce 2021, pp. 23-59

 Students are required to attend classes. If students miss classes they should inform staff of their absence and the reason for it.  Students are also invited to join the virtual classroom (Classroom), which is useful for sending quick communications and distributing files. Information about this will be communicated in due time on the teacher's website  Attention: the course is divided into two different classes (A-F: Prof. Maurizio Sonnino; G-O: Prof. G.Giuseppe Lentini; P-Z: Prof. Ilaria Andolfi). It is not allowed to switch from one class to the other without previous authorization from the staff.

During one of the lessons there will be a translation test from Greek. This test, to be carried out only once, is merely indicative, so that it does not in any way prevent access to the final oral exam, nor does it preclude a full final mark in case of an excellent oral exam.The oral exam will be devoted to ascertain students' skill in Greek language, metrics and literature. Students will have to translate some of the chosen texts and answer questions about Greek language (morphology and syntax). Afterwards, they will be asked to put what they have read in the correct historical frame. Knowledge of history of Greek literature will be assessed during the exam. The ability to deal with all these aspects of the oral exam entitles students to a full mark.

The lessons of the course will be evenly divided between the study of grammar and the study of literature. The grammar lessons will focus on the history of the Greek language, with particular attention to the transition from Indo-European phonetics to Greek, the study of Greek dialects (especially Homeric Greek), and metre (particularly dactylic hexameter). Regarding literature, after some introductory lessons on Homer and oral poetry, we will proceed to read Book XIX of the Odyssey, highlighting its main linguistic and thematic features.

Through the reading of the Homeric text at the heart of the course (the ninth book of the Odyssey), as well as an anthology of lyric poems and a selection of passages from Herodotus, a historical introduction to the Greek language and Greek dialects will be presented, particularly to Homeric language

Knowledge of Greek grammar as acquired in high schools (Liceo Classico) is necessary.

Greek texts 1. Homer, Odyssey, book IX to be read in Greek. -- Reference edition: M.L. West, Homeri Odyssea. Berlin - Boston 2017 -- Reference commentary. E. J. Bakker, Homer Odyssey Book IX, Cambridge 2025 -- Italian Commentary (but not as useful as the preceeding one for the linguistic commentary): A. Heubeck et al., Omero. Odissea IX-XII, Milano 1988 -- Italian translations: Franco Ferrari, Omero. Odissea, Torino 2001; V. Di Benedetto, Omero Odissea, Milano 2010. 2. Erodoto, Storie, libro I, capp. 1-54 (lettura in greco). Edizione di riferimento: R. V. Munson, Herodotus, Histories I, Cambride 2022. Per la traduzione e un commento italiano (ma non tanto utile quanto il precedente per la parte linguistico-grammatical), si può fare riferimento a Erodoto, Le Storie. Libro I. La Lidia e la Persia. A cura di D. Asheri, Milano 1988 3. Antologia di lirici (). Edizione di riferimento: F. Ferrari, La porta dei canti, Cappelli, Bologna (i testi da preparare saranno indicati a lezione) Handbooks, grammars, essays: Greek grammar to be studied on a high school Greek Grammar. For questions of historical grammar: V. Garulli - C. Neri, Morfologia e storia del greco antico, Roma 2025. Sections to be indicated from G. Cambiano - L. Canfora - D. Lanza, Lo spazio letterario della Grecia antica, Volume I Tomo I. Sections to be indicated from L. E. Rossi, I poemi omerici come testimonianza di poesia orale, in L.E. Rossi κηληθμῷ δ ̓ ἔσχοντο. Scritti editi e inediti, volume II, Berlin/Boston 2020 Introduction in Franco Ferrari, Omero. Iliade, Mondadori, Milano 2018) Other reference material: M.C. Martinelli, Gli strumenti del poeta, Cappelli, Bologna 1995 (parts indicated in class) Some Greek literature handbooks, useful to contextualize problems in Greek literary history: E. Magnelli - E. Medda - C. Neri, Storia della letteratura greca, Roma 2025 A. Rodighiero et al., Civiltà letteraria della Grecia antica, Bologna 2025

Whoever is unable to attend classes *must* contact the teacher to arrange a specific program for non-attending students

The final assessment will be oral, and will focus on reading, translating and commenting on the Greek texts in the syllabus, as well as the ability to expound and elaborate on the notions offered in the lectures and in the essays on the syllabus. A written translation test during the course is planned to assess skills in translation and comprehension of Greek texts.

The course includes lectures and practical exercises

Odisseus among the Phaeacians: After a cycle of introductory classes aimed at providing the guidelines of the development of Greek language and its dialects, the phonetic and morphological phenomena will be further illustrated thorough the reading of literary texts. More specifically, the course will deal with the language of the epics, of the elegy and iambus, of Aeolic lyric and choral lyric. For the epics, it is required the full reading of Odyssey VIII; for lyric poets, an anthology of texts; for prose, the reading of the first book of Herodotus' Histories. During the course, a written exam, consisting in a translation from Greek, will take place.

Students who wish to attend this course must already know the grammar of ancient Greek (morphology and syntax) - in other words, at the same level as students of the Italian "Liceo Classico" after the first two years of school.

Texts: Omero, Odissea Libro VIII Erodoto Storie, Libro I. Recommended edition: D. Asheri, Erodoto, I: La Lidia e La Persia. Milano (Fondazione Lorenzo Valla - Mondadori) 2012. An anthology of Greek lyric (texts will be provided in class) A handbook of Greek literature of the archaic age. Recommended: L.E. Rossi - R. Nicolai, Storia e testi della letteratura greca. Vol. I: L’età arcaica, Firenze (Le Monnier) 2003

Attendance is warmly recommended. Non attending students are invited to get in touch.

Assessment consists in an oral examination, where the students are asked questions about the linguistic issues and the texts discussed in class and to study individually. Finally, there will be some questions on the history of Archaic Greek literature. During the course, it will be scheduled a written text, consisting in a translation from Greek, that, however, has no influence on the final grade of the exam.

*** Students are kindly asked to wait the beginning of the classes before purchasing books *** Further bibliography: D. Pieraccioni, Morfologia storica della lingua greca, Messina - Firenze (D'Anna) 1954 V. Garulli, C. Neri, Morfologia e Storia del Greco Antico, Carocci 2024. R. Cantarella - G. Scarpat, Breve Introduzione ad Omero, Città di Castello (Dante Alighieri) 1989, pp. 201-248. S. Colvin, A historical Greek reader, Oxford, OUP, 2007. Chapters I, II and IV of Storia delle lingue letterarie greche, a c. di A. C. Cassio, Milano, Mondadori Università 2016, seconda edizione (I: pp. 3-31; II: pp. 32-72; IV: pp. 107-129). M.C. Martinelli, Gli strumenti del poeta, Bologna (Cappelli) 1995.

Standard lecture