Introduction to the Historical Geography of the ancient world.
The Greek and the sea: the islands in the historical-geographical tradition
Course Content
Analysis of the sources on the knowledge of the mainland ans islands in the archaic and classical Greece. Origin and development of the "nesiotiké biblos": Diodorus, book V.
Herodotus, Selected passages.
Strabo, Selected passages
Diodorus, Book V (Selected passages)
Plinius, Naturalis historia (Selected passages).
Avienus, Ora maritima (Selected passages)
Learning Objectives
The course aims to introduce students to the history of geographical thought through the study of
greek and latin sources on the mainland and on the islands.The discovery of remote regions and islands (like the British Islands and Taprobane-Ceylon) poses a problem about the drawing of the world's map. With Eratosthenes we can see, in Alexandria, a bid to gain control of the geograpraphical space ad to put the new discoveries in to the map.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of Greek and Latin.
Teaching Methods
Lectures with recurring discussions.
Type of Assessment
Oral examination.
Course program
S. Bianchetti, Geografia storica del mondo antico, Monduzzi Editore Bologna 2008.
P.Janni, La mappa e il periplo, Roma 1984.
G.Aujac, L'immagine della terra nella scienza greca, in Optima hereditas.Sapienza giuridica romana e conoscenza del'ecumene, Milano 1992, 147-202.
F. Borca, Terra mari cincta. Insularità e cultura romana. Carocci Roma 2000.