B008467 - PALEOGRAPHY

Italian

The course will provide a historical overview of the different book and documentary scripts between the second half of the XIVth century and the first ten years of the XVIth century. The course will also provide an introduction to the description of mediaeval manuscripts.

Mandatory texts to be completed during the first weeks of the course:
J. Mallon, Paléographie romaine, Madrid 1952, pp. 21-29
B. Bischoff, Paleografia latina, Padova, Antenore 1992, pp. 7-52 (Materiali e strumenti scrittori)
T. De Robertis, Questioni preliminari e generali, «Medioevo e Rinascimento», 7 (1993), pp. 161-193 (in particolare 167-174), scaricabile dal sito www.ductus.it sezione Biblioteca ? Articoli (sul sistema abbreviativo).
E. Casamassima, Note sul metodo della descrizione dei codici, «Rassegna degli archivi di stato», 23 (1963), pp. 181-205.
During the course further special bibliography will be notified.

This course will provide a cutting-edge knowledge of documentary and book scripts between the second half of the XIVth century and the first ten years of the XVIth century. The students will gain familiarity with the techniques and principles of the palaeographical analysis.

Excellent skills in reading and speaking Italian; knowledge of history and of cultural history from late Antiquity to the Middle Age; good skills in reading Latin; basic knowledge of Latin palaeography, codicology and diplomatics.

Oral lessons (72 hours course), with presentation and analysis of photographic reproductions of Latin scripts. Seminars in Biblioteca Riccardiana.

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Written exercises and oral examination.

Definition and historical ground of Palaeography (research field, methods and purpose).
Methods and principles of palaeographical analysis: writing as a system of signs; relationship between ductus and letter forms; writing angle; size and weight. Writing techniques: formal hand (writing stroke after stroke), cursive hand (currenti calamo scribere); different forms of the same letter; ligatures; majuscule and minuscule scripts; style.
Books and documents: their materials, shape and use; writing tools.
Introduction to mediaeval scripts in Italy from the late XIVth century until the first ten years of the XVIth century: books and documents.
Main mediaeval systems of abbreviation. Principles of transcription.
Exercises in cataloguing mediaeval manuscripts.