Tuesday August 27
- Introduction to the class (no assignment)
Module 1. Elements and Education
Friday August 31 - SPECIAL CLASS - NO CLASS MEETING ON THURSDAY - MEET AT MY HOUSE ON FRIDAY @ 2:30 FOR TWO HOURS
- Practicum on ancient writing materials. We will meet at my home - 712 Bayberry, Chapel Hill, 27517 - 2:30-4:30 to do some hands-on work with wood, wax, ink, papyrus.
- This is a good time, however, also to (1) register in the Rubenstein (here); and (2) start working on next Tuesday's assignment.
Tuesday September 4
- Read: Oxford Handbook, chapter 1, Writing Materials in the Ancient World Adam Bülow-Jacobsen. (Oxford Handbook of Papyrology; available electronically through Perkins.)
- Find: the series P.Oxy. in the Papyrology Room, and Study several recent volume (from the last 20 years) to get an idea of how an ancient literary or paraliterary textual artefact is edited. Each volume starts with a preface that tabulates what the various brackets and dots (etc.) mean; study and absorb that set of conventions (the so-called Leiden convention)
- Examine: Rubenstein Rare Book Room, p.Duke.inv. 232 (wooden tablet), on reserve. DON'T PUT THIS OFF - if all nine are trying to look at the object at the last minute, it will be a mess
- Write: Description and transcription of p.Duke.inv. 232. You may (should) use outside resources to try to sort out this object, but DO NOT read either the catalogue description or the publication. Make your description and transcription as much like a P.Oxy. entry as you can.
Thursday September 6
- Read: Johnson 2015, Learning to Read and Write and (optional) Johnson 2011, Teaching the Children How to Read; also Oxford Handbook, chapter 14, Education in the Papyri, Raffaella Cribiore, in the Oxford Handbook of Papyrology. All are in the BOX Readings folder. [next time omit Cribiore or make optional]
- Study: Gueraud-Jouguet papyrus, 1938 edition. (Optional comparandum: Collart 1926, which I will load in the Box folder.) You will find the Gueraud-Jouguet edition in the Pap Room on the Reserve Shelf (near the windows).
- Write: using your calligraphic marker on papyrus or paper, copy out at least three columns from the Gueraud-Jouguet papyrus, that is, using that text as your model. Try to follow the ductus of that papyrus as closely as you can.
- Read: on the enkyklios paideia, Morgan 1998, 50-89 with tables and map (find in BOX Readings folder), alongside the methodological discussion in Bagnall 2011, 27-35 (first part of chapter 2, discussion of the methodology), and 54-74 (demonstration of the method). [Next time limit Morgan reading to p. 79, stopping at competition paragraph.]
- Ponder: the problem of accumulations of examples and statistics, and how best to accurately write history from the papyri.
Module 2. Scribes and Palaeography
Tuesday September 11
- Read: chapter 5 from E.G. Turner, Greek Papyri, An Introduction, pp. 54-73: “How to Edit a Papyrus Text.” Read the front of a similar chapter by P. Schubart from the OUP Handbook to Papyrology, Chapter 9, which discusses the Leiden system and the difference between a Diplomatic Transcript and a Full Transcript; read the rest of his chapter more rapidly (mostly to do with documents). Both of these readings are in our BOX folder, under “readings”.
- Write: For p.Duk.inv. 767 (on hold in Rubenstein) make a diplomatic transcription.* Then, before looking up the text, make a go at breaking the letters into its word divisions in the manner of a typical Greek edited text. (*A diplomatic transcription signifies to type out the Greek letter by letter, without attention to word spaces, accents, or the like - effectively to make a copy of the Greek text in typescript - see readings.)
- Then (and ONLY THEN) look up the text in the TLG (you can access this only on campus or with the VPN) and collate it, marking any errors in your diplomatic & edited text in pencil, but creating on the side a collation of where the text shows variation. DO NOT erase and correct your errors. [Use text and app. crit. from von der Muehl and van Thiel (both on reserve in the Pap Room) for the collation. Do not use the more recent West Teubner text, since that edition cites the Duke papyrus.]
- Now create an edition of the piece that uses the recent POxy volumes as your model. Whether you work on the dating of the script is your choice; we will work on that next week, so it's okay to leave that out for now.
- You should send to me by email by class time then: (1) diplomatic transcription and edited text with corrections and collation; (2) final edition of the text, with introduction and commentary as appropriate.
Thursday September 13 (HURRICANE FLORENCE)
- Now that you've begun to master the art of making an edition of a simple text, it's time to work on a couple of riddles and practice further the art. The first riddling papyrus is simpler, though not simple, and falls within our Education rubric. The second (due next Tuesday) is a literary papyrus and will start to move us away from the education theme; it is more challenging, and will take some substantial time - make sure you budget for it.
- Write: create an edition for Yale inv. 1245, which was published as P.Yale II.125. DO NOT look up the edition of this papyrus, and avoid references to it, but otherwise all tools are in fair play. Send your result by email. You will work entirely from the digital image, which is high resolution. You'll find it under our papyrus images in the BOX folder. As with the last assignment, whether you work on the dating of the script is your choice.
- Read: Turner, Greek Papyri, chapters 2 & 3, pp. 17-41 (optional is chapter 4, pp. 42-53). (in BOX folder) Our classroom discussion will now turn towards the history of discovery for some of the great finds.
Tuesday September 18
- Read & Study: Read quickly through the GMAW introduction and start rereading it SLOWLY with CLOSE attention to, and much study of, the plates referred to. This is fundamental: study closely and carefully. (You will find a PDF in the Box folder, and TIFFs of the plates; but the original is really best for the plates.) You will find yourself returning to this again and again. GMAW = E.G. Turner, Greek Manuscripts of the Ancient World (2nd ed. rev. P. Parsons). Find the physical copy under instrumenta in the pap room.
Thursday September 20
- Read & Study: FINISH working through GMAW introduction with the plates referred to. Again, this is fundamental: study closely and carefully. (You will find a PDF in the Box folder, and Tiffs of the plates; but the original is really best for the plates.) You will find yourself returning to this again and again. GMAW = E.G. Turner, Greek Manuscripts of the Ancient World (2nd ed. rev. P. Parsons). Find the physical copy under instrumenta in the pap room.
- Write: create an edition for P.Duk.inv. 4 (on reserve in the Rubenstein), which was published recently. DO NOT look up the edition of this papyrus, or the catalogue record. Otherwise all tools are in fair play. Send the result by email. This is a known text. Concentrate in particular in your edition on the relationship between the known text, as represented in a major edition with the app. crit.. and the ancient “edition” as represented on this papyrus; also, focus on the puzzle presented by the marginalia. You will need, then, to locate an edition of this work with good app. crit. information (you may wish to share that major edition as a class - time for you as a group to start self organizing!), and you will also need to consult the reserve shelf where you will find a couple of basic starting points to help with the analysis of the marginalia (these are the two volumes, one large, one small, by Duke PhD and now distinguished emerita Katy McNamee). Again, whether you work on the dating of the script is your choice, but I discourage it. This is a substantial assignment, so you will need to leave yourself sufficient time. As before, for the format of your edition, follow that for “Known Literary Texts" in recent volumes of P.Oxy. (e.g. LXXV, pp. 48ff). As you’ll see, P.Oxy. often cites from the tables in my Bookrolls and Scribes when the column sizes can be deduced; that volume will also be found on reserve for you to use, as you may need to do. THIS ASSIGNMENT CAN BE HANDED IN ON FRIDAY OR EVEN EARLY NEXT WEEK IF NEED BE.
Tuesday September 25
We now take a well-earned breather from our heavy work-outs. Finish working through the script template sheet for P.Ryl. 457 that we started at the end of the last class. DO NOT go on to fill out the second page of that sheet ("Script Characteristics") - we will work on that as a group in class. This breather will give you a chance to work further on Turner's GMAW. You may also want to briefly explore other volumes of plates that are useful for dating (look under the resources tab).
We will devote the second half of class on Tuesday to beginning Thursday's assignment. If you want to try to jump start that, you will first need to locate the edited text - we will look in class how to find these texts using papyri.info, but most of these can be found on the shelves of the Pap room as well.
We now take a well-earned breather from our heavy work-outs. Finish working through the script template sheet for P.Ryl. 457 that we started at the end of the last class. DO NOT go on to fill out the second page of that sheet ("Script Characteristics") - we will work on that as a group in class. This breather will give you a chance to work further on Turner's GMAW. You may also want to briefly explore other volumes of plates that are useful for dating (look under the resources tab).
We will devote the second half of class on Tuesday to beginning Thursday's assignment. If you want to try to jump start that, you will first need to locate the edited text - we will look in class how to find these texts using papyri.info, but most of these can be found on the shelves of the Pap room as well.
Thursday September 27
In the last class we worked through the analysis of the book hand for PRyl 457 (=NT P 52). You have each been assigned at least 6 comparanda for this script. Images of the comparanda and their identification is loaded into our BOX folder under the subfolder: PRyl Comparanda > *Chronological. Using the sheets provided, make a careful study of each comparandum, or at least the six assigned (do more if you can). As you study, write out the ductus for each hand together with notes on how a given papyrus relates to the group as a whole, and PRyl 457 in particular. At the end of your study, write up your provisional results in a couple of pages. It's perfectly okay to discuss or debate this among yourselves; even a written result that combines the observations of 2 or more students is okay for this assignment. Your goal is to answer these questions:
In the last class we worked through the analysis of the book hand for PRyl 457 (=NT P 52). You have each been assigned at least 6 comparanda for this script. Images of the comparanda and their identification is loaded into our BOX folder under the subfolder: PRyl Comparanda > *Chronological. Using the sheets provided, make a careful study of each comparandum, or at least the six assigned (do more if you can). As you study, write out the ductus for each hand together with notes on how a given papyrus relates to the group as a whole, and PRyl 457 in particular. At the end of your study, write up your provisional results in a couple of pages. It's perfectly okay to discuss or debate this among yourselves; even a written result that combines the observations of 2 or more students is okay for this assignment. Your goal is to answer these questions:
- For each comparandum: is this example legitimately part of this "graphic stream"?
- Does the chronological succession of examples as a whole suggest development or changes over time for details associated with this "graphic stream"? Are there subgroups that seem to you to have merit (whether chronologically delimited or not)?
- Does PRyl 457 align with any of the subgroups, or more with some than others?
- What in aggregate does this study suggest about the date of PRyl 457?
Tuesday October 2
- Read: Barker 2011, "The Dating of New Testament Papyri." This article was the basis of the comparandum exercise we just completed. Read also the pre-Byzantine Greek part of Cavallo's chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Papyrology, pp. 101-134. That is quite dense, so read this more to get a sense of overview than to command all of the details. Some of you might also enjoy looking at Orsini-Clarysse 2012, "Early New Testament Manuscripts and Their Dates: A Critique of Theological Palaeography," but that is entirely optional. You will find the two articles in the Readings subfolder of our BOX folder. I have also loaded the keynote presentation that I showed you last class, and that we will be working with this week (see Keynote Presentations subfolder in BOX).
- Explore and ponder: which project you would like to take on for the next module. Consult my email on the subject to get the lay of the land.
Thursday October 4
- Write: For each of the three images supplied in the Box folder (under folder "Duke papyri to date"), use the palaeography volumes listed under the Resources tab, all located in the instrumenta section of the pap room, along with any other resources (such as examples in recent POxy volumes), to date the papyrus. The critical ones for this exercise are [1] Turner, Greek Manuscripts of the Ancient World, [2] Roberts, Greek Literary Hands, and [3] Cavallo/Maehler, Hellenistic Bookhands. This is your opportunity to make these 3 books particular pals.) For each papyrus, describe the essentials of the hand —i.e. what characteristics you are focusing on when making the judgement— and list the comparanda —i.e. dated papyri that seem importantly similar in ductus, look, feel— that you find useful for the dating. On that basis try to assign a date. For each comparandum, create or locate a digital image of that comparison papyrus. DO NOT SPEND more than 3 hours on this. Load your best comparanda images directly into the box subfolder, with the papyrus name (e.g. POxy 4144) and your initials on it - filename = "POxy 4144 waj". Much better to give 2-3 good parallels than 6-8 so-so ones - give us your best shot! You will find this challenging, and we will work through this in class.
- This week is also a good time to start work on p.Duk.inv. 3 (see Thursday Oct. 11 assignment), since as you now know, it's best to look at a piece, digest, give it a break, and then look and work on it again. Making an edition of p.Duk.inv. 3 is not nearly so ambitious as inv. 4, but it will take some time to get it right.
Friday October 5
Form to propose a topic that you will assign and present for the next module is due. Send me the form by email by 5:00 pm.
Form to propose a topic that you will assign and present for the next module is due. Send me the form by email by 5:00 pm.
Tuesday October 9 - FALL BREAK
Thursday October 11
- We will continue to work on the study of bookrolls and bookhands in class.
- Study: Study my comments on your edition of p.Duk. inv. 4, and once again, as needed, look again and more closely into the way that recent volumes of POxy present extant texts. This will be your model for the written assignment, so read through several, and try to get a clear sense of how a contemporary edition is constructed. If anything remains unclear to you after study, schedule some time with me in the Pap room.
- Read: Read the selection from my Bookrolls and Scribes, pp. 3-13 (on reserve in the pap. room) and “sniff over” this book to see what data it offers the researcher.
- Write: Use TLG to locate p.Duk.inv. 3 (on reserve in rare books; this is a known text), and create an edition for this text. Concentrate in particular in your edition on the reconstruction of the bookroll. What can you say about the whole of the bookroll from this small fragment? Since this is a small and uncomplicated fragment, the edition you present should be quite finished, including the dating of the hand with spot-on comparanda.
Module 3. Bookrolls, Codices, et alia: Great Finds Old & New
Note: the next phase of the course features individual presentations that focus upon one or another of the great literary papyrus finds. For that, you will want to start work early, since it will be your job to set the assignment as well as to lead the class. For each assignment, you will want to ask your student colleagues to read at least some Greek, since these are mostly unusual authors. Otherwise, the range of possible assignments and class activities is open. You will want to think through carefully how to bring out the interest of the papyrus and help your classmates get to know this particular artefact or set of artefacts. You may want to get your classmates to write out part of the papyrus; or practice reading in scriptio continua; or read relevant secondary literature. On the other hand, since others are preparing their own class, you will not in all mercifulness ask too much.
Your aim is to take about 45 minutes of class time, and to fill with material that will make you, your classmates, and me all feel that this was time very well spent. You are the instructor for this exercise, so you want to make things interactive where possible, and certainly engaging, hopefully fascinating. Being able to set an assignment is one of your tools, of course; but you also need to think through what exactly you should best do in class to bring out what is fascinating about “your” papyrus or set of papyri. Please do not make the rookie mistake of talking at us for 45 minutes! And remember that we have a mixed audience: classicists, but also specialists in religious studies, including one student with no Latin, and almost all (including me) without Coptic. That doesn't mean you can't tackle a Coptic or Latin topic, but that you need to think through the pedagogy carefully.
Your aim is to take about 45 minutes of class time, and to fill with material that will make you, your classmates, and me all feel that this was time very well spent. You are the instructor for this exercise, so you want to make things interactive where possible, and certainly engaging, hopefully fascinating. Being able to set an assignment is one of your tools, of course; but you also need to think through what exactly you should best do in class to bring out what is fascinating about “your” papyrus or set of papyri. Please do not make the rookie mistake of talking at us for 45 minutes! And remember that we have a mixed audience: classicists, but also specialists in religious studies, including one student with no Latin, and almost all (including me) without Coptic. That doesn't mean you can't tackle a Coptic or Latin topic, but that you need to think through the pedagogy carefully.
Tuesday October 16 - Libbie on the Gospel of Thomas
*First, Bentley Layton's introduction to the Gospel of Thomas (uploaded to the Readings BOX folder). All translations are based on a fourth-century Coptic manuscript, now held in Cairo, a facsimile of which is in the Images folder on Box. This was part of Nag Hammadi Codex II. Please take a look at the facsimile - it's remarkably well-preserved! (This is the only complete version of the text)
*Second, read the Gospel of Thomas itself. Any scholarly edition is fine; if you prefer a link, here is a good translation by Lambdin:http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/thomas-lambdin.html It's not too long, just 114 sayings ("logia") of Jesus.
*Third, look over Harry Attridge's comments on the Greek Oxyrhynchus fragments of the Gospel of Thomas. There are three fragments. Attridge also gives transcriptions of these fragments, but I have omitted those pages from the PDF. There may be some meaningful variation between the Greek and the Coptic versions. (This reading too will be found in the Readings BOX folder.)
*Fourth, pick one of the three Oxyrhynchus fragments of Thomas and make a diplomatic transcription of it.
P. Oxy 1 1
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/P._Oxy._1.jpg (I couldn't find any high-resolution images of P. Oxy 1 online, but this papyrus is better preserved than the others and perhaps just as easy to read)
P. Oxy 4 654
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/images/thomasgosp_lg.jpg
P. Oxy 4 655
https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/drs:7456399$1i
I will hand out Attridge's Greek transcriptions on Tuesday for you to compare your work to.
*First, Bentley Layton's introduction to the Gospel of Thomas (uploaded to the Readings BOX folder). All translations are based on a fourth-century Coptic manuscript, now held in Cairo, a facsimile of which is in the Images folder on Box. This was part of Nag Hammadi Codex II. Please take a look at the facsimile - it's remarkably well-preserved! (This is the only complete version of the text)
*Second, read the Gospel of Thomas itself. Any scholarly edition is fine; if you prefer a link, here is a good translation by Lambdin:http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/thomas-lambdin.html It's not too long, just 114 sayings ("logia") of Jesus.
*Third, look over Harry Attridge's comments on the Greek Oxyrhynchus fragments of the Gospel of Thomas. There are three fragments. Attridge also gives transcriptions of these fragments, but I have omitted those pages from the PDF. There may be some meaningful variation between the Greek and the Coptic versions. (This reading too will be found in the Readings BOX folder.)
*Fourth, pick one of the three Oxyrhynchus fragments of Thomas and make a diplomatic transcription of it.
P. Oxy 1 1
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/P._Oxy._1.jpg (I couldn't find any high-resolution images of P. Oxy 1 online, but this papyrus is better preserved than the others and perhaps just as easy to read)
P. Oxy 4 654
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/images/thomasgosp_lg.jpg
P. Oxy 4 655
https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/drs:7456399$1i
I will hand out Attridge's Greek transcriptions on Tuesday for you to compare your work to.
Thursday October 18 - Sinja on Timotheus
Timotheos, Persians
Get ready to explore the oldest preserved Greek book roll!
1) Take a look at the papyrus. You can use the uploaded images in the box folder (Images – Papyri and Tablets > Timotheus Persae Panorama) or the DFG viewer images:
col. 1 (recto): http://dfg-viewer.de/show/?set%5Bimage%5D=2&set%5Bmets%5D=http%3A%2F%2Fberlpap.smb.museum%2F02776%2F?xml=tei
col. 2-6 (recto): http://dfg-viewer.de/show/?set%5Bimage%5D=1&set%5Bmets%5D=http%3A%2F%2Fberlpap.smb.museum%2F02776%2F?xml=tei
What can we conclude from the papyrus as an artefact? What does the text body look like? Which parts of the bookroll are preserved (the panorama created by Prof. Johnson is particularly helpful)?
2) Describe the hand and the letter shapes. Which letters are particularly helpful for dating? You can use the script template in our box folder.
3) Go to Timotheus col5 in the box folder. Transcribe the last seven lines of the papyrus (starting with the end of the sixth last line νῦν δὲ Τιμόθεος). Then compare your transcription with the Wilamowitz’ uploaded transcription. Find at least one neologism in the transcribed passage. You can use the uploaded Timotheus’ commentary by Horden for help.
4) Look at the transcription and translation of col. v lines 186-253 Wil. in the van Minnen article (p. 260). What does the coronis indicate? Does the scribe write iota adscript?
5) Next read the translation of the whole papyrus in the uploaded Campbell.
“So far as my knowledge goes, there is only once classical Greek poem whose performance can be reconstructed with any degree of assurance, and that is the Persians by Timotheps of Miletus.“ (Herington, Poetry into Drama, 151) Scholars have expressed different ideas about when and where the Persians was first performed. Reading the following three short articles (12 pages in total) think about which arguments speak for one or the other occasion. Which date do you find most convincing?
Read:
Hansen, Ove, On the Date and Place of the first Performance of Timotheus’ Persae, Philologus 128 (1983), 135-138
van Minnen, Peter, The Performance and Readership of the Persai of Timotheos (Duke
University), AFP 43.1 (1997): 246-60.
Philipps, David J., ch. 8 section VII: “The first performance of The Persians of Timotheos
of Miletos”, in D. J. Phillips/D. Pritchard, Sport and Festival in the Ancient Greek
World, pp. 211-213.
Besides, try to find in the articles the answers to the following questions:
a) Which genre does Timotheus write in? In which way does he differ from previous tragedians and lyric poets? What is novel about the meter and music Timotheus employs? For the latter confer West’s section on Timotheus in Ancient Greek Music p. 361-4 (uploaded).
b) What do we know about the findspot of the papyrus? Does it help us contextualize the papyrus? What is indicative of a Ionian scribe? Do you find the evidence compelling? For a counter-opinion read Hordern’s brief discussion of the archaeological context (uploaded, p. 62-65) and the identity of the scribe (p. 68-69).
Timotheos, Persians
Get ready to explore the oldest preserved Greek book roll!
1) Take a look at the papyrus. You can use the uploaded images in the box folder (Images – Papyri and Tablets > Timotheus Persae Panorama) or the DFG viewer images:
col. 1 (recto): http://dfg-viewer.de/show/?set%5Bimage%5D=2&set%5Bmets%5D=http%3A%2F%2Fberlpap.smb.museum%2F02776%2F?xml=tei
col. 2-6 (recto): http://dfg-viewer.de/show/?set%5Bimage%5D=1&set%5Bmets%5D=http%3A%2F%2Fberlpap.smb.museum%2F02776%2F?xml=tei
What can we conclude from the papyrus as an artefact? What does the text body look like? Which parts of the bookroll are preserved (the panorama created by Prof. Johnson is particularly helpful)?
2) Describe the hand and the letter shapes. Which letters are particularly helpful for dating? You can use the script template in our box folder.
3) Go to Timotheus col5 in the box folder. Transcribe the last seven lines of the papyrus (starting with the end of the sixth last line νῦν δὲ Τιμόθεος). Then compare your transcription with the Wilamowitz’ uploaded transcription. Find at least one neologism in the transcribed passage. You can use the uploaded Timotheus’ commentary by Horden for help.
4) Look at the transcription and translation of col. v lines 186-253 Wil. in the van Minnen article (p. 260). What does the coronis indicate? Does the scribe write iota adscript?
5) Next read the translation of the whole papyrus in the uploaded Campbell.
“So far as my knowledge goes, there is only once classical Greek poem whose performance can be reconstructed with any degree of assurance, and that is the Persians by Timotheps of Miletus.“ (Herington, Poetry into Drama, 151) Scholars have expressed different ideas about when and where the Persians was first performed. Reading the following three short articles (12 pages in total) think about which arguments speak for one or the other occasion. Which date do you find most convincing?
Read:
Hansen, Ove, On the Date and Place of the first Performance of Timotheus’ Persae, Philologus 128 (1983), 135-138
van Minnen, Peter, The Performance and Readership of the Persai of Timotheos (Duke
University), AFP 43.1 (1997): 246-60.
Philipps, David J., ch. 8 section VII: “The first performance of The Persians of Timotheos
of Miletos”, in D. J. Phillips/D. Pritchard, Sport and Festival in the Ancient Greek
World, pp. 211-213.
Besides, try to find in the articles the answers to the following questions:
a) Which genre does Timotheus write in? In which way does he differ from previous tragedians and lyric poets? What is novel about the meter and music Timotheus employs? For the latter confer West’s section on Timotheus in Ancient Greek Music p. 361-4 (uploaded).
b) What do we know about the findspot of the papyrus? Does it help us contextualize the papyrus? What is indicative of a Ionian scribe? Do you find the evidence compelling? For a counter-opinion read Hordern’s brief discussion of the archaeological context (uploaded, p. 62-65) and the identity of the scribe (p. 68-69).
Tuesday October 23- Michael on the Magical Papyri
READ: Hans Dieter Betz, “Introduction to the Greek Magical Papyri” (only 7.5 pages) and Janet Johnson, “Introduction to the Demotic Magical Papyri” (only 3 pages) (and optional: Hans Dieter Betz 1997, “Magic and Mystery in the Greek Magical Papyri”), all uploaded in box.
Goal: To understand what the magical papyri are, why we have them, and how to read them.
EXAMINE: PGM I-IV in translation, uploaded in box. FOCUS on any 3 “spells” from these papyri and study them very carefully, paying close attention to each word. SKIM the rest in order to get a sense of what these papyri contain (for your own sake, please DO NOT READ this entire PDF cover-to-cover).
Goal: To “calibrate your Magic Meter.” What’s “weird” about the magical papyri? In what respect do the rituals described here diverge from your previous understanding of ancient religion?
STUDY: P.Lond. I 121, aka PGM VII (http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=papyrus_121_f001r). Follow the link and you will find that the British Library has uploaded 6 ultra-high-definition images of this bookroll which display both the recto and verso of its three segments (modern divisions). Use the arrows in the upper right hand corner of the online viewer to navigate between these images and to get a view of the whole bookroll. Glance over the bookroll and see what peculiarities draw your eye, then take a closer look at 3-4 of these peculiar portions of the papyrus. Explore this unusual bookroll and have some fun!
Goal: To become familiar with a magical papyrus qua artifact and qua “magical” text. It may be helpful to ask: What type of text is this bookroll and how would it have been used? How is the text arranged and divided? How many different hands are discernible? In what ways does this text differ from the purely literary texts we’ve examined?
WRITE: A diplomatic transcription of a brief excerpt (of your choice!) from P.Lond. I 121 (= PGM VII). Transcribe at least 5 lines of the bookroll and then try to add word division. Feel free to use any outside resources to help you understand your excerpted passage, aside from a published edition of PGM VII. Volumes I and III of the Preisendanz PGM have been placed on the reserve shelf to offer some guidance for your transcriptions. Bring your transcription to class and be prepared to discuss the excerpt you've chosen with your colleagues.
Goal: To attempt to really understand one of the 3-4 peculiar sections which you’ve noted in your study of the papyrus. Items which may be of interest: the “Homeromanteion” (Col.1-4 and fragment columns 1 & 2); one of the “Zauberbilder” (“magical drawings”); passages which invoke a number of unusual names (voces mysticae), string together a number of nonsense words (Ephesia Grammata), or include a number of strange shapes/letters (charakteres).
[optional] EXAMINE & WRITE: Spend no more than 20 minutes looking over p.Duk.inv. 729, which William has put on hold in the Rubenstein under his name. Using your newly developed expertise in working with so-called magical papyri, write down 2-3 reasons why you think this papyrus was classified as “magical”. Bring these reasons to class and be prepared to discuss: Is this a magical papyrus? And how useful is “magic” as a category for classifying ancient texts?
READ: Hans Dieter Betz, “Introduction to the Greek Magical Papyri” (only 7.5 pages) and Janet Johnson, “Introduction to the Demotic Magical Papyri” (only 3 pages) (and optional: Hans Dieter Betz 1997, “Magic and Mystery in the Greek Magical Papyri”), all uploaded in box.
Goal: To understand what the magical papyri are, why we have them, and how to read them.
EXAMINE: PGM I-IV in translation, uploaded in box. FOCUS on any 3 “spells” from these papyri and study them very carefully, paying close attention to each word. SKIM the rest in order to get a sense of what these papyri contain (for your own sake, please DO NOT READ this entire PDF cover-to-cover).
Goal: To “calibrate your Magic Meter.” What’s “weird” about the magical papyri? In what respect do the rituals described here diverge from your previous understanding of ancient religion?
STUDY: P.Lond. I 121, aka PGM VII (http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=papyrus_121_f001r). Follow the link and you will find that the British Library has uploaded 6 ultra-high-definition images of this bookroll which display both the recto and verso of its three segments (modern divisions). Use the arrows in the upper right hand corner of the online viewer to navigate between these images and to get a view of the whole bookroll. Glance over the bookroll and see what peculiarities draw your eye, then take a closer look at 3-4 of these peculiar portions of the papyrus. Explore this unusual bookroll and have some fun!
Goal: To become familiar with a magical papyrus qua artifact and qua “magical” text. It may be helpful to ask: What type of text is this bookroll and how would it have been used? How is the text arranged and divided? How many different hands are discernible? In what ways does this text differ from the purely literary texts we’ve examined?
WRITE: A diplomatic transcription of a brief excerpt (of your choice!) from P.Lond. I 121 (= PGM VII). Transcribe at least 5 lines of the bookroll and then try to add word division. Feel free to use any outside resources to help you understand your excerpted passage, aside from a published edition of PGM VII. Volumes I and III of the Preisendanz PGM have been placed on the reserve shelf to offer some guidance for your transcriptions. Bring your transcription to class and be prepared to discuss the excerpt you've chosen with your colleagues.
Goal: To attempt to really understand one of the 3-4 peculiar sections which you’ve noted in your study of the papyrus. Items which may be of interest: the “Homeromanteion” (Col.1-4 and fragment columns 1 & 2); one of the “Zauberbilder” (“magical drawings”); passages which invoke a number of unusual names (voces mysticae), string together a number of nonsense words (Ephesia Grammata), or include a number of strange shapes/letters (charakteres).
[optional] EXAMINE & WRITE: Spend no more than 20 minutes looking over p.Duk.inv. 729, which William has put on hold in the Rubenstein under his name. Using your newly developed expertise in working with so-called magical papyri, write down 2-3 reasons why you think this papyrus was classified as “magical”. Bring these reasons to class and be prepared to discuss: Is this a magical papyrus? And how useful is “magic” as a category for classifying ancient texts?
Thursday October 25- Julie on Papyrus Egerton 2 — The Egerton Gospel
For fun, you can choose to listen to any of these podcast episodes from Mark Goodacre’s “NT Pod: A Historical Approach to the New Testament” for some introductory information on the relationship between the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Synoptic gospels)
NT Pod Episode #24: Was Mark the First Gospel? (12:30)
NT Pod Episode #23: What is the Synoptic Problem? (12:37)
NT Pod Episode #66: Oral Traditions and the Game of “Telephone” (11:25)
You may also wish to scroll around on http://sites.utoronto.ca/religion/synopsis/meta-syn.htm to see Matthew, Mark, and Luke lined up next to one another. Scroll down in one of the columns and if there is a parallel passage in another gospel, there will be a small colored book you can click on to get the page to automatically scroll to it. There are many other synopses out there, but this one is free and easily accessible.
- Look at the fragments on this website: https://web.archive.org/web/20120724031636/http://www-user.uni-bremen.de/~wie/Egerton/egerton-pictures.html Get acquainted with the papyrus as an object and then create a diplomatic transcription of either the recto or verso of fragment 1 or 2 in order to become acquainted with the script. Look over the rest of the fragments and notice nomina sacra and punctuation. Can you estimate a date for the papyrus?
- Read the excerpts from Tobias Nicklas, “The ‘Unknown Gospel’ on Papyrus Egerton 2” posted on Box. What does he add to your understanding of this papyrus (the script, dating, etc.) from step one? You can also look at images from this site now that you have become familiar with possible dates: http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=egerton_papyrus_2_f001r
- Print the Egerton Comparison Handout posted on Box. Now you get to have some fun comparing what is written on our papyrus with similar stories/wordings found in the New Testament. We will look at the passage on Fragment 1 verso + P. Cologne 255 verso and compare it with a similar passage in the Gospel of John, as well as Fragment 1 recto + P. Cologne 255 recto with all four canonical (Matt, Mark, Luke, John) gospels. You can do this with either the Greek or English texts provided. Looking at each line, mark up the similarities and differences you notice. You may wish to underline or circle near or exact correspondences, connect them with lines, use different colored pens, etc. Think about the significance of these similarities or differences. Can you say anything about the relationship between these texts? Does there seem to be familiarity in either direction or are they independent? It is okay if you do not know much about the New Testament for this exercise! You can still notice important words or phrases. For the four-column chart, you should focus on comparing the canonical gospels with the Egerton gospel, though you may also comment on similarities/differences between the four.
For fun, you can choose to listen to any of these podcast episodes from Mark Goodacre’s “NT Pod: A Historical Approach to the New Testament” for some introductory information on the relationship between the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Synoptic gospels)
NT Pod Episode #24: Was Mark the First Gospel? (12:30)
NT Pod Episode #23: What is the Synoptic Problem? (12:37)
NT Pod Episode #66: Oral Traditions and the Game of “Telephone” (11:25)
You may also wish to scroll around on http://sites.utoronto.ca/religion/synopsis/meta-syn.htm to see Matthew, Mark, and Luke lined up next to one another. Scroll down in one of the columns and if there is a parallel passage in another gospel, there will be a small colored book you can click on to get the page to automatically scroll to it. There are many other synopses out there, but this one is free and easily accessible.
Tuesday October 30- Alex on Sappho
The Newest Sappho (2014)
Topline Summary
The class will be structured around three major questions:
The minimum requirements (all required readings are in Box):
Familiarize yourself with Obbink 2014.
Read my summary of the controversy, Boin’s 2014 NYT Op-Ed, Obbink 2015, and Johnson 2012.
Prepare at least three talking points for your side in the debate on the use of papyri with questionable (or worse) provenance.
--Pro (Libby, Michael, Mason, Sinja)
--Con (Julie, Erickson, Leo, Melissa)
Below is a much more detailed version of what is above. All articles not listed above are optional.
For those of you unfamiliar with Sappho, the entry in the Oxford Classical Dictionary (2012) can quickly bring you up to speed.
Part I: The Fragments
Familiarize yourself with the editions of the newest Sappho fragments published in 2014 in ZPE (loaded into box).
These are too long to read well in their entirety. Focus on three things:
Part II: The Controversy
Please read my summary of the controversy surrounding the provenance of these fragments in Box. The works mentioned in my summary which you are required to read can be found in Box.
All of the other articles, which are linked, are optional. If you read only one, read the piece on the Jesus’ Wife fragment. It’s quite the page-turner.
Part III: The Debate
Building off of what we have learned--both about the potential impact of these fragments and their controversial provenance--we are going to dedicate the second half of the class to a broader debate about the ethical dilemmas surrounding the provenance of papyri.
The topic of the debate:
Resolved: While all efforts should be made to ensure lawful and ethical provenance of the papyri we publish, we should not allow questions of provenance to prevent us from publishing papyri that might have a substantial impact on our understanding of the ancient world.
I have divided the class in half and randomly assigned a stance to each.
Pro: Sinja, Michael, Mason, Julie
Con: Libby, Melissa, Erickson, Leo
Before class, each student must prepare three points which support their side’s argument.
For context: Please read a certain William Johnson’s thoughtful ZPE article, which touches on many of the ethical issues present in this controversy. It was published two years before our controversy (required: in Box).
Time will be given after the debate to discuss how we each actually feel, and whether the debate has changed our minds.
The Newest Sappho (2014)
Topline Summary
The class will be structured around three major questions:
- Why do the newest Sappho papyri matter?
- Why are the newest Sappho papyri controversial?
- How do we address the ethical conundrums facing the use of papyri with questionable (or worse) provenance?
The minimum requirements (all required readings are in Box):
Familiarize yourself with Obbink 2014.
Read my summary of the controversy, Boin’s 2014 NYT Op-Ed, Obbink 2015, and Johnson 2012.
Prepare at least three talking points for your side in the debate on the use of papyri with questionable (or worse) provenance.
--Pro (Libby, Michael, Mason, Sinja)
--Con (Julie, Erickson, Leo, Melissa)
Below is a much more detailed version of what is above. All articles not listed above are optional.
For those of you unfamiliar with Sappho, the entry in the Oxford Classical Dictionary (2012) can quickly bring you up to speed.
Part I: The Fragments
Familiarize yourself with the editions of the newest Sappho fragments published in 2014 in ZPE (loaded into box).
These are too long to read well in their entirety. Focus on three things:
- Familiarize yourself with the fragments as artifacts
- Learn the different notation
- Understand the argument for these fragments’ significance. What do they tell us about Sappho that we have not already learned? Why did they cause such a hullaballoo when they were first announced?
Part II: The Controversy
Please read my summary of the controversy surrounding the provenance of these fragments in Box. The works mentioned in my summary which you are required to read can be found in Box.
All of the other articles, which are linked, are optional. If you read only one, read the piece on the Jesus’ Wife fragment. It’s quite the page-turner.
Part III: The Debate
Building off of what we have learned--both about the potential impact of these fragments and their controversial provenance--we are going to dedicate the second half of the class to a broader debate about the ethical dilemmas surrounding the provenance of papyri.
The topic of the debate:
Resolved: While all efforts should be made to ensure lawful and ethical provenance of the papyri we publish, we should not allow questions of provenance to prevent us from publishing papyri that might have a substantial impact on our understanding of the ancient world.
I have divided the class in half and randomly assigned a stance to each.
Pro: Sinja, Michael, Mason, Julie
Con: Libby, Melissa, Erickson, Leo
Before class, each student must prepare three points which support their side’s argument.
For context: Please read a certain William Johnson’s thoughtful ZPE article, which touches on many of the ethical issues present in this controversy. It was published two years before our controversy (required: in Box).
Time will be given after the debate to discuss how we each actually feel, and whether the debate has changed our minds.
Thursday November 1 - Mason on the "wild papyri" of Homer
Three readings uploaded: R. B. Rutherford’s introduction to Odyssey XIX-XX, Stephanie West’s introduction to The Ptolemaic Papyri of Homer, and J. P. Mahaffy’s transcription and commentary to P. Lond. Lit 21.
First, browse Rutherford to get a grasp of the oral tradition surrounding the Homeric epics. Read West’s introduction for an overview of the Ptolemaic (or “wild”) papyri. Then, begin the assignments.
If assignments 2 and 3 give you trouble, look under the subheading “An Examination of Some Ptolemaic Papyrus Passages”, on this site for examples of plus-verses examined as literature:
https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/4853.3-the-ptolemaic-papyri-of-the-iliad-evidence-of-eccentricity-or-multitextuality-
I put these on the reserve shelf of the reading room for you to browse also:
Assignment 1
You are a professor of Classical Studies instructing a graduate course on the fundamentals of papyrology. Along the same lines as our P.Oxy assignments, you have required from your students an edition of P. Lit. Lond. 21.
Read J. P. Mahaffy’s commentary (III.4) and grade it as if he were held to the standards of our course. Use your knowledge of the gold-standard P.Oxy volumes to (1) look for errors in his transcription, and (2) suggest what key components are missing from his commentary. West calls this editio princeps “extremely careless”, so don’t be afraid to take your frustrations out on it. We will discuss this in class, so take notes.
If the image of Mahaffy’s papyrus causes you grief, try instead comparing West’s more careful edition in the reading room (page 103) to Mahaffy’s transcription.
Assignment 2
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248134
From the image above, transcribe about half of P.Hibeh 23 (Odyssey XX.41-68). If you wish, you can leave out the top and bottom 10 lines, but make sure you at least cover 51-60 so that you transcribe the “plus-verses”.
For context, read the surrounding lines in English (see reserve shelf) and translate two or more of the restored plus-verses in West’s commentary (51a, 55a, 58a). After translating and comparing the restored lines to the greater narrative, decide which ones you prefer.
How do the plus-verses compare to the lines immediately after them? According to your critical eye, do they seem superfluous, or do they add significant details? Use West as your guide, and decide for yourself whether they are evidence for authentic verses, interpolations, or scribal errors, whether they were added by the rhapsode or scribe, or whether the restored verses are mere speculation.
Assignment 3
http://sosa2.uni-graz.at/sosa/katalog/index_papyri.php (type 1944 into the search bar for image)
Using West’s commentary on P.Hibeh 19 (from Iliad II and III), do the same as above: 1) read the surrounding passages in English for context and then 2) approach the plus-verses. There are many more here, but translate two or three to get a taste.
Choose from the 14 lines West says “can be restored with reasonable certainty” (B 794a, 855 a, b, r 283 a, 302 a, b, c, d, 304a, 339a,b,c, 362a, 366a). Translate the restored plus-verses you have chosen. Consider your results within the surrounding context.
Compared to each other and compared to P.Hibeh 23 from assignment 2, which of these plus-verses do you think is most accurate to its original appearance in the book roll? Based on literary context or on the amount of lost letters, do you see a significant difference between plus-verses in P.Hibeh 19 and 23? How can the scholars restore lines with any confidence?
Three readings uploaded: R. B. Rutherford’s introduction to Odyssey XIX-XX, Stephanie West’s introduction to The Ptolemaic Papyri of Homer, and J. P. Mahaffy’s transcription and commentary to P. Lond. Lit 21.
First, browse Rutherford to get a grasp of the oral tradition surrounding the Homeric epics. Read West’s introduction for an overview of the Ptolemaic (or “wild”) papyri. Then, begin the assignments.
If assignments 2 and 3 give you trouble, look under the subheading “An Examination of Some Ptolemaic Papyrus Passages”, on this site for examples of plus-verses examined as literature:
https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/4853.3-the-ptolemaic-papyri-of-the-iliad-evidence-of-eccentricity-or-multitextuality-
I put these on the reserve shelf of the reading room for you to browse also:
- Hibeh Papyri Part I by Grenfell and Hunt (includes images of 23 and part of 19).
- English translations of the Odyssey and Iliad
- West’s The Ptolemaic Papyri of Homer
- Mahaffy’s The Flinders Petrie Papyri: Part I, No. 8
- Mahaffy’s plates for The Flinders Petrie Papyri
Assignment 1
You are a professor of Classical Studies instructing a graduate course on the fundamentals of papyrology. Along the same lines as our P.Oxy assignments, you have required from your students an edition of P. Lit. Lond. 21.
Read J. P. Mahaffy’s commentary (III.4) and grade it as if he were held to the standards of our course. Use your knowledge of the gold-standard P.Oxy volumes to (1) look for errors in his transcription, and (2) suggest what key components are missing from his commentary. West calls this editio princeps “extremely careless”, so don’t be afraid to take your frustrations out on it. We will discuss this in class, so take notes.
If the image of Mahaffy’s papyrus causes you grief, try instead comparing West’s more careful edition in the reading room (page 103) to Mahaffy’s transcription.
Assignment 2
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248134
From the image above, transcribe about half of P.Hibeh 23 (Odyssey XX.41-68). If you wish, you can leave out the top and bottom 10 lines, but make sure you at least cover 51-60 so that you transcribe the “plus-verses”.
For context, read the surrounding lines in English (see reserve shelf) and translate two or more of the restored plus-verses in West’s commentary (51a, 55a, 58a). After translating and comparing the restored lines to the greater narrative, decide which ones you prefer.
How do the plus-verses compare to the lines immediately after them? According to your critical eye, do they seem superfluous, or do they add significant details? Use West as your guide, and decide for yourself whether they are evidence for authentic verses, interpolations, or scribal errors, whether they were added by the rhapsode or scribe, or whether the restored verses are mere speculation.
Assignment 3
http://sosa2.uni-graz.at/sosa/katalog/index_papyri.php (type 1944 into the search bar for image)
Using West’s commentary on P.Hibeh 19 (from Iliad II and III), do the same as above: 1) read the surrounding passages in English for context and then 2) approach the plus-verses. There are many more here, but translate two or three to get a taste.
Choose from the 14 lines West says “can be restored with reasonable certainty” (B 794a, 855 a, b, r 283 a, 302 a, b, c, d, 304a, 339a,b,c, 362a, 366a). Translate the restored plus-verses you have chosen. Consider your results within the surrounding context.
Compared to each other and compared to P.Hibeh 23 from assignment 2, which of these plus-verses do you think is most accurate to its original appearance in the book roll? Based on literary context or on the amount of lost letters, do you see a significant difference between plus-verses in P.Hibeh 19 and 23? How can the scholars restore lines with any confidence?
Tuesday November 6 - Melissa on Women's Letters
- Read Windows on a Woman’s World by Raffaella Cribiore (uploaded to box). Pay specific attention to how papyri are used as evidence. There is an image of P.Giss.21 uploaded to box because the version in the chapter is illegible.
- In Women’s Letters from Ancient Egypt, 300 BC to AD 800 by Roger Bagnall et al. (available through the library website,) read Chapter Six up to (and including) the section, “A Woman’s Hand.” Do not read the sections about archives. Read the section, “Dating Handwriting.” Make use of the links to examples of papyri as you read.
- Proceed to the Letters section of the Table of Contents of Women’s Letters from Ancient Egypt and peruse the Themes and Topics. Pick a topic (excluding “Coptic Letters”) and read through some translations of the letters. What information about life in the ancient world can be gleaned from these letters? Whose voices are we hearing? Pick another topic and do the same. Do you notice similar features? Are these letters helpful in understanding the lives of ancient women? If so, to what degree?
- BGU 1205 and BGU 1206/1207 are uploaded to box. Take a look at the scripts of these papyri- how many different hands can you find? Use the uploaded transcriptions and the translations of the body of the letters for help. Who wrote these letters? To whom does each hand belong? What is the relationship between these letters?
Thursday November 8 - Erickson on Herculaneum
GOAL: To facilitate a better understanding of ancient libraries and reading culture through the archaeological topos of the Villa of the Papyri and its library.
READ (On Box):
STUDY: Uploaded to Box are a few exemplary Herculaneum papyri. Have a quick look at one of your choice and see what catches your eye. What about these fragments is similar to or different from the works we’ve looked at so far?
CONSIDER: Look at the maps of the Villa (uploaded on Box) and take note of the find spots for the various papyri found throughout. Using what you now know about the Villa, the library’s contents, ancient reading culture, and Epicurean community, consider how this library and its surrounding space might have been used.
(Note that on the Weber plan, the room in which the papyri were found on shelves is Room V, on the eastern side of the villa)
You might also look at the Getty virtual model of the Villa: http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/a-virtual-model-of-the-villa-dei-papiri/
GOAL: To facilitate a better understanding of ancient libraries and reading culture through the archaeological topos of the Villa of the Papyri and its library.
READ (On Box):
- Sider, “The Books of the Villa of the Papyri” (pp.115-127) and “Introduction: Life” (pp.3-12) for background on the Villa’s discovery and contents and on Philodemus.
- Clay, “The Athenian Garden” (pp.18-28), for context on Epicurean reading culture (starting at “The Acts of the Epistle)
- Gigante, “The Library of Philodemus” (pp.15-48) for the actual contents of the library. (Feel free to skim through this: the idea here is to give you a general sense of what’s in the library, not an exhaustive understanding of the inner workings of Philodemus’ philosophy)
- Johnson, “Constructing Elite Reading Communities in the High Empire”, in Ancient Literacies (pp. 320-329, available through Duke: https://search.library.duke.edu/search?id=DUKE006303732 ). While relating specifically to reading culture of the Antonine period, this chapter nevertheless provides an interesting parallel to Epicurean reading culture.
STUDY: Uploaded to Box are a few exemplary Herculaneum papyri. Have a quick look at one of your choice and see what catches your eye. What about these fragments is similar to or different from the works we’ve looked at so far?
CONSIDER: Look at the maps of the Villa (uploaded on Box) and take note of the find spots for the various papyri found throughout. Using what you now know about the Villa, the library’s contents, ancient reading culture, and Epicurean community, consider how this library and its surrounding space might have been used.
(Note that on the Weber plan, the room in which the papyri were found on shelves is Room V, on the eastern side of the villa)
You might also look at the Getty virtual model of the Villa: http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/a-virtual-model-of-the-villa-dei-papiri/
Tuesday November 13 - Leo on Athenaion Politeia
The Athēnaiōn Politeia from the School of Aristotle
Goals: To learn about the Athēnaiōn Politeia papyrus as an object; to place the text in the intellectual/historical context in which it was originally written; to become familiar with hands which are more “documentary.”
I hope you are excited to become acquainted with one of our most interesting finds!
1: Visit http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=papyrus_131_f001r# and explore the papyrus as an object (our text starts at f.6v and ends at f.10v, so keep scrolling until you get to the verso). Page through the long rolls to get a sense of their defining characteristics. Look at hands (how many? where do they change?), columns, and everything we have been trained to examine. Please do not worry too much about individual letter shapes yet, but think about what in general distinguishes these rolls from the literary rolls to which we have become accustomed. Optional: Go to the Rubenstein and look at the facsimile which is on hold there (Athēnaiōn politeia : Aristotle on the Constitution of Athens. Facsimile of papyrus CXXXI in the British Museum). You might want to do this AFTER you have completed the rest of the assignment, to make sure you have time for all required material.
2: Read Kenyon’s description (in Box) of the papyrus in his editio princeps and think about how it compares to your own description. The preface (one paragraph) and pgs. vii-xvi (to the paragraph break) are required. Make sure to note the abbreviations list at the end as this will be helpful later.
3: Read Rhodes’ introduction (also in Box), which gives further background. Pgs. 1-7 are required and 8-21 are optional, but please make sure to look at the useful charts on pages 8-9 and 16-17 which outline the contents of the work.
4: Transcription exercise: Now that you have learned more about the Athēnaiōn Politeia revisit the image of the papyrus at the British Library’s website. You will all transcribe a selection from the first hand but I have randomly divided you into groups for the other hands. For each selection read the first two lines with the help of the TLG (see specific citations below) to become accustomed with the different letter shapes and other distinctive features. Then, once the training wheels are off, transcribe the remaining lines on you own. Finally, collate the results with the TLG’s text, making sure to look back at the papyrus throughout to see how the scribe’s script matches the correct reading. While transcribing your second selection think about how this hand compares to the first and write down your findings.
You can locate the appropriate column by the numbers put in place by the curators.
ΝΟΤΕ: The group divisions are to ensure that all four hands are covered, so you do not actually have to do this exercise with your group member(s). If you just cannot get your fill of transcribing, please feel free to move on to other hands after you complete the first two.
The assignment groupings are as follows:
Everyone: Hand 1, column 5, lines 1-5 (until the first hole in the papyrus). Beginning at TLG section 12, subsection 5, line 11 (ἐγὼ δὲ τούτων...).
Libbie, Melissa, and Michael: Hand 2, column 15, lines 1-6. Beginning at TLG section 34, subsection 1, line 11 (οὐκ ὑπήκουσιν...).
Alex, Julie, and Sinja: Hand 3, column 36, lines 1-8 (if this is too much feel free to leave out the last two lines). Beginning at TLG section 69, subsection 2, line 4 (<πά>λιν παραλαμβάνοντες...).
Mason , Erickson, and William: Hand 4, column 28, lines 1-4. Beginning at TLG section 55, subsection 3, line 2 (σοι πατὴρ καί...).
5: Visit http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0046%3Achapter%3D63 and read the description of the courts (sections 63-69) in English to experience one of the work’s most unique passages. Optional: Visit http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Aristot.+Const.+Ath.+5&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0046 and read the story of Solon (5-14) in English to see how this text treats this famous figure’s role in Athenian political history (cf. Herodotus, Histories 1.29).
6: Optional: Read as much or as little of the Sogno article (on Box) as you like. This will provide insight on political thought in the Athēnaiōn Politeia and on the relationship of this text to other works in the Aristotelian corpus as well as to those in the Greek historiographic tradition.
The Athēnaiōn Politeia from the School of Aristotle
Goals: To learn about the Athēnaiōn Politeia papyrus as an object; to place the text in the intellectual/historical context in which it was originally written; to become familiar with hands which are more “documentary.”
I hope you are excited to become acquainted with one of our most interesting finds!
1: Visit http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=papyrus_131_f001r# and explore the papyrus as an object (our text starts at f.6v and ends at f.10v, so keep scrolling until you get to the verso). Page through the long rolls to get a sense of their defining characteristics. Look at hands (how many? where do they change?), columns, and everything we have been trained to examine. Please do not worry too much about individual letter shapes yet, but think about what in general distinguishes these rolls from the literary rolls to which we have become accustomed. Optional: Go to the Rubenstein and look at the facsimile which is on hold there (Athēnaiōn politeia : Aristotle on the Constitution of Athens. Facsimile of papyrus CXXXI in the British Museum). You might want to do this AFTER you have completed the rest of the assignment, to make sure you have time for all required material.
2: Read Kenyon’s description (in Box) of the papyrus in his editio princeps and think about how it compares to your own description. The preface (one paragraph) and pgs. vii-xvi (to the paragraph break) are required. Make sure to note the abbreviations list at the end as this will be helpful later.
3: Read Rhodes’ introduction (also in Box), which gives further background. Pgs. 1-7 are required and 8-21 are optional, but please make sure to look at the useful charts on pages 8-9 and 16-17 which outline the contents of the work.
4: Transcription exercise: Now that you have learned more about the Athēnaiōn Politeia revisit the image of the papyrus at the British Library’s website. You will all transcribe a selection from the first hand but I have randomly divided you into groups for the other hands. For each selection read the first two lines with the help of the TLG (see specific citations below) to become accustomed with the different letter shapes and other distinctive features. Then, once the training wheels are off, transcribe the remaining lines on you own. Finally, collate the results with the TLG’s text, making sure to look back at the papyrus throughout to see how the scribe’s script matches the correct reading. While transcribing your second selection think about how this hand compares to the first and write down your findings.
You can locate the appropriate column by the numbers put in place by the curators.
ΝΟΤΕ: The group divisions are to ensure that all four hands are covered, so you do not actually have to do this exercise with your group member(s). If you just cannot get your fill of transcribing, please feel free to move on to other hands after you complete the first two.
The assignment groupings are as follows:
Everyone: Hand 1, column 5, lines 1-5 (until the first hole in the papyrus). Beginning at TLG section 12, subsection 5, line 11 (ἐγὼ δὲ τούτων...).
Libbie, Melissa, and Michael: Hand 2, column 15, lines 1-6. Beginning at TLG section 34, subsection 1, line 11 (οὐκ ὑπήκουσιν...).
Alex, Julie, and Sinja: Hand 3, column 36, lines 1-8 (if this is too much feel free to leave out the last two lines). Beginning at TLG section 69, subsection 2, line 4 (<πά>λιν παραλαμβάνοντες...).
Mason , Erickson, and William: Hand 4, column 28, lines 1-4. Beginning at TLG section 55, subsection 3, line 2 (σοι πατὴρ καί...).
5: Visit http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0046%3Achapter%3D63 and read the description of the courts (sections 63-69) in English to experience one of the work’s most unique passages. Optional: Visit http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Aristot.+Const.+Ath.+5&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0046 and read the story of Solon (5-14) in English to see how this text treats this famous figure’s role in Athenian political history (cf. Herodotus, Histories 1.29).
6: Optional: Read as much or as little of the Sogno article (on Box) as you like. This will provide insight on political thought in the Athēnaiōn Politeia and on the relationship of this text to other works in the Aristotelian corpus as well as to those in the Greek historiographic tradition.
Thursday November 15 - The Greek Romances: Literacy and Literature
P.Duk. inv. 772, Achilles Tatius, on hold in the Rubenstein
Read: Achilles Tatius, Clitophon & Leucippe, book 3 entire in translation; read carefully in the Greek book 3, chapters 19-22. (Readings>Achilles Tatius Translation in BOX.)
Study: Look carefully at the images (images - papyri>Achilles Tatius) and at the papyrus itself = p.Duk.inv. 772 in the Rubenstein. Work through some of the text, and accumulate telling details that will help you narrate the story of this papyrus. You will want to date the hand, to study the voluminology (layout, physical features), and think about the text as well. In studying the papyrus you are welcome to use the transcription and notes (Readings>Achilles Tatius Transcription in BOX) from the editio princeps, but you are NOT to read the introduction to that publication. Your “story” should be, in effect, a prècis of the introduction *you* would write for this piece. Also, be aware that you will not get a good look at the papyrus if everyone waits until Thursday to work on it.
Write: Sketch an outline of the story of this papyrus, adducing the telling details, and bring your notes to class.
P.Duk. inv. 772, Achilles Tatius, on hold in the Rubenstein
Read: Achilles Tatius, Clitophon & Leucippe, book 3 entire in translation; read carefully in the Greek book 3, chapters 19-22. (Readings>Achilles Tatius Translation in BOX.)
Study: Look carefully at the images (images - papyri>Achilles Tatius) and at the papyrus itself = p.Duk.inv. 772 in the Rubenstein. Work through some of the text, and accumulate telling details that will help you narrate the story of this papyrus. You will want to date the hand, to study the voluminology (layout, physical features), and think about the text as well. In studying the papyrus you are welcome to use the transcription and notes (Readings>Achilles Tatius Transcription in BOX) from the editio princeps, but you are NOT to read the introduction to that publication. Your “story” should be, in effect, a prècis of the introduction *you* would write for this piece. Also, be aware that you will not get a good look at the papyrus if everyone waits until Thursday to work on it.
Write: Sketch an outline of the story of this papyrus, adducing the telling details, and bring your notes to class.
Coda
Tuesday November 20 - NO CLASS
Take the time you would have spent preparing for this class and use it to explore possible topics for the final project; if you have a final project already in mind, get to work on it.
Take the time you would have spent preparing for this class and use it to explore possible topics for the final project; if you have a final project already in mind, get to work on it.
Thursday November 22 - THANKSGIVING RECESS
Tuesday November 27 - The Musical Papyri
For this class, we will have some light readings and transcription work on the musical papyri, and will do a couple of in-class exercises.
Transcribe the Greek text (not the music, unless it entertains you) for the two columns of Yale papyrus P.CtYBR 4510 (you'll find the hi-res image in our Box Images folder, along with an infrared image). See if you can figure out the word divisions and get any sense of the meaning. Do this before reading the article in JHS below. Study also the image of another music papyrus, P. Mich. inv. 1205, also in the Box Images folder. (Do not transcribe.) In both cases, think about the papyrus-as-object; and in the case of the Yale piece, the palaeographical date.
Read: W. A. Johnson, "Musical Evenings in the Early Empire: New Evidence from a Greek Papyrus with Musical Notation," Journal of Hellenic Studies 120 (2000): 57-85; and W. A. Johnson, "New instrumental music from Graeco-Roman Egypt," Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 37 (2000): 17-36. In both cases you are released to look over/skim the musical notation analysis, and skip the rhythmical notation discussion outright. (Both are loaded in the BOX Readings folder.)
Explore: the Ancient Greek Music tab at www.profwilliamjohnson.com. Fun!
If you have interest and at least some training in music, you might want to give the ancient notation system a look. (We will also look at this in class, but only briefly.) For that, read the relevant parts of Chapter 9 ("Notation and Pitch") in Martin West's superb book, Ancient Greek Music (available electronically through the library, but well worth owning if you're interested in the subject).
For this class, we will have some light readings and transcription work on the musical papyri, and will do a couple of in-class exercises.
Transcribe the Greek text (not the music, unless it entertains you) for the two columns of Yale papyrus P.CtYBR 4510 (you'll find the hi-res image in our Box Images folder, along with an infrared image). See if you can figure out the word divisions and get any sense of the meaning. Do this before reading the article in JHS below. Study also the image of another music papyrus, P. Mich. inv. 1205, also in the Box Images folder. (Do not transcribe.) In both cases, think about the papyrus-as-object; and in the case of the Yale piece, the palaeographical date.
Read: W. A. Johnson, "Musical Evenings in the Early Empire: New Evidence from a Greek Papyrus with Musical Notation," Journal of Hellenic Studies 120 (2000): 57-85; and W. A. Johnson, "New instrumental music from Graeco-Roman Egypt," Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 37 (2000): 17-36. In both cases you are released to look over/skim the musical notation analysis, and skip the rhythmical notation discussion outright. (Both are loaded in the BOX Readings folder.)
Explore: the Ancient Greek Music tab at www.profwilliamjohnson.com. Fun!
If you have interest and at least some training in music, you might want to give the ancient notation system a look. (We will also look at this in class, but only briefly.) For that, read the relevant parts of Chapter 9 ("Notation and Pitch") in Martin West's superb book, Ancient Greek Music (available electronically through the library, but well worth owning if you're interested in the subject).
Thursday November 29 - Literary culture - Project summary due - QUIZ on papyri we have studied
We will spend the first part of this class looking at some letters that exemplify aspects of literary culture.
Send by email a brief summary report on your plans for a final project. No more than 1 page. That should include 1. Description of project. 2. Your aims in choosing this project (practice in editing, exploration of an area, draft of an article, foundational to future work, etc.) and what you think you will get out of the work you put into it. If you are choosing "Plan B" (letters of Zenon), try to be explicit about what sorts of materials you would find most interesting or useful and why.
The QUIZ will be exactly that, a quiz and not an exam. This will be a chance to be sure you know the names and something about each of the new friends you have made this term. I will display 10 images of papyri that should all be familiar to you - things we have worked on and not just things we have seen in passing. This will include papyri that were part of the student presentations. For the quiz, you will need to identify, date, and say something brief about the importance or significance of the piece. Here's the exact prompt:
We will spend the first part of this class looking at some letters that exemplify aspects of literary culture.
Send by email a brief summary report on your plans for a final project. No more than 1 page. That should include 1. Description of project. 2. Your aims in choosing this project (practice in editing, exploration of an area, draft of an article, foundational to future work, etc.) and what you think you will get out of the work you put into it. If you are choosing "Plan B" (letters of Zenon), try to be explicit about what sorts of materials you would find most interesting or useful and why.
The QUIZ will be exactly that, a quiz and not an exam. This will be a chance to be sure you know the names and something about each of the new friends you have made this term. I will display 10 images of papyri that should all be familiar to you - things we have worked on and not just things we have seen in passing. This will include papyri that were part of the student presentations. For the quiz, you will need to identify, date, and say something brief about the importance or significance of the piece. Here's the exact prompt:
- Name the papyrus (e.g. “Yale Music Papyrus,” “Homer from the Duke collection,” “Egerton Unknown Gospel”)
- Give approximate date and/or script description (brief!)
- Offer a couple of salient details that at least gesture towards how/why this papyrus is fascinating
December 1-December 11 - GRADUATE READING PERIOD
Saturday December 15
Your projects are due by 5:00 (send me by email).
Plan A = devise a medium sized project of your own devising, as described in the syllabus. This can be conventional or unconventional. Best to check with the instructor when devising this plan to be sure that it is both suitable and manageable.
Plan B = COMING - See <COMING> description in the dropbox under Final Project Plan B.
Your projects are due by 5:00 (send me by email).
Plan A = devise a medium sized project of your own devising, as described in the syllabus. This can be conventional or unconventional. Best to check with the instructor when devising this plan to be sure that it is both suitable and manageable.
Plan B = COMING - See <COMING> description in the dropbox under Final Project Plan B.
The papyrus pictured at top is P.CtYBR 5018, a literary papyrus from the Yale collection, published by Johnson in 2016.
