Aims

Provide a survey of a fascinating discipline: Greek epigraphy. Practice the two most important scripts of Ancient Greece (Linear B syllabary and alphabet) and learn the basic facts of their history. Become familiar with the reading of inscriptions on photographs or facsimiles, and able to edit and interpret them. Become aware of the problems of the adaptation of these scripts to the Greek language.

Main themes

Introduce the two most interesting groups of Greek scripts (Linear B syllabary and alphabet), basic facts of their history and their ability to write the Greek language. Make the students familiar with the reading of inscriptions on photographs or facsimiles, their edition and interpretation.

Content and teaching methods

Introduction to a major discipline for Ancient Greece. The two most interesting groups of Greek inscriptions will be studied : 1) the oldest ones, written in the Linear B syllabary (XIVth - XIIth centuries); 2) the alphabetic inscriptions (from the first quarter of the VIIIth century onwards). The lectures introduce to the basic methodological problems (edition, interpretation and datation of the incriptions; work-tools; bibliography). They include the history of the scripts in Greece (Linear B, creation of the alphabet, archaic and classic alphabets, relation between the Greek language and these scripts).

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