Historical Studies

Activity type

Fonti, metodologie, tecniche e strumenti della ricerca storica

SSD

M-STO/09

Year

N/D

Semester

N/D

CFU

6

Hours distribution

42 classroom hours

Lecturers

ANNA GIOFFREDA

Activity type

Fonti, metodologie, tecniche e strumenti della ricerca storica

SSD

M-STO/09

Year

N/D

Semester

N/D

CFU

6

Hours distribution

42 classroom hours

Lecturers

ANNA GIOFFREDA

The course aims to provide knowledge and understanding of the methodological, critical and applicable aspects of the Discipline; it proposes geographical areas and sectorial perspectives in which related projects are activated; it shows the variability of fields of interest; it enables the student to master the specific topics in order to use them and apply them in other fields of study while using the correct specific language. With the acquired knowledge the student will be able to develop autonomous ability of connections with other disciplines in the various historical epochs and cultural contexts.

By the end of the course, students will be able to understand the role of Carolingian scriptoria within the production and transmission of medieval written culture. They will have acquired a critical knowledge of the main material, graphic, and textual features of Carolingian manuscripts, with particular attention to the organization of scriptoria and the processes involved in manuscript production.
Students will be able to identify and describe Caroline minuscule, recognizing its fundamental palaeographical features and major regional variants, and to situate manuscripts and scribal practices within their proper historical and cultural context. They will also develop the ability to analyse the Carolingian manuscript as a historical source, assessing its function, intended use, and circulation, as well as to interpret its significance within the broader framework of Carolingian cultural reform and its legacy in later medieval manuscript culture.

A basic knowledge of the history of Latin script is required. Students are expected to have previously completed an introductory course in Latin palaeography, or to possess equivalent palaeographical skills.

The course aims to provide a historical and cultural overview of scriptoria in the Carolingian period, examining their central role in the production, preservation, and transmission of written culture between the eighth and ninth centuries. Following an introduction to the political, religious, and intellectual context of the Carolingian world and to the programme of cultural reform promoted by the court, attention will focus on the function of monastic and canonical scriptoria within the framework of the Carolingian renovatio.
The material organization and operation of scriptoria will be examined, with particular emphasis on the processes involved in manuscript production, including copying techniques, page layout, and the division of labour among the various agents involved. A substantial part of the course will be devoted to the study of Caroline minuscule, its origins, its main palaeographical features, and its diffusion as an instrument of graphic and cultural standardization in Carolingian Europe.
The course will also address the principal types of texts produced in Carolingian scriptoria, such as biblical and liturgical texts, patristic works, school and grammatical texts, as well as the transmission of Latin classical literature. Particular attention will be paid to the graphic and decorative apparatus of manuscripts, considered in terms of their communicative and symbolic functions.
Through the analysis of selected case studies, the course will present some of the major scriptoria of the Carolingian period, highlighting their specific modes of production and the regional variants in script and manuscript layout. Finally, the Carolingian manuscript will be examined as a complex historical object and as a source for the study of medieval cultural history, with attention to issues of dating, localization, and use of manuscripts, as well as to the legacy of Carolingian scriptoria in the manuscript culture of subsequent centuries.

General reference works:

- B. Bischoff, Latin palaeography: antiquity and Middle Ages, B. B. translated by D. O Cróinin, D. Ganz, Cambridge 1990, pp. 112-118; pp. 202-211;
- D. Ganz, Book Production in the Carolingian Empire and the Spread of Caroline Minuscule, in The New Cambridge Medieval History, II, c. 700-c. 900, pp. 786-808;
- Pratesi, Cherubini, Paleografia latina. L’avventura grafica nel mondo occidentale, Città del Vaticano 2010, pp. 357-422.
- R. McKitterick, The Carolingians and the Written Word, Cambridge 1995, pp. 135-210;
- R. McKitterick, Script and book production, in Carolingian culture: emulation and innovation, Cambridge 1994, pp. 221-247;
- A. Bartoli – Langeli, Scritture e libri da Alcuino a Gutenberg, in G. Ortalli, Storia d’Europa, III, Il Medioevo, pp. 935-982;
- M. Bassetti, «Biblica mixta»: la koinè biblica carolingia e Bibbie imperiali ottoniane, M. Bassetti, Bibbie “imperiali” carolingie e ottoniane, pp. 24-146.

On Carolingian scriptoria:

- B. Bischoff, ‘Panorama der Handschriftenüberlieferung aus der Zeit Karls de Grossen’, B. Bischoff, MS III, pp. 5-38; R. McKitterick, Carlongian Book Production: some problems, «The Library» 12, 1990, pp. 1-33; D. Ganz, The preconditions for Caroline minuscule, «Viator» 18, 1987, pp. 23-44;

- St. Amand: R. Mckitterick, Script and book production, in Carolingian culture: emulation and innovation, Cambridge 1994, pp. 221-247;

- Corbie: D. Ganz, Corbie and the Carolingian Renaissance (Sigmaringen, 1990);

- Laon: J. J. Contreni, The Cathedral School of Laon: Its Manuscripts and Masters, Münchener Beiträge zur Mediävistik und Renaissance Forschung (Munich, 1976);

- Lorsch: B. Bischoff, Lorsch im Spiegel seiner Handschriften, Münchener Beiträge zur Mediävistik und Renaissance Forschung. Beiheft (Munich, 1974); W. Lindsay, The (early) Lorsch scriptorium, in Palaeographia Latina, Part III, Oxford 1924;

- Rheims: F. L. Carey, ‘The scriptorium of Rheims during the Archbishopric of Hincmar (845-882)’ in: Classical and Medieval Studies in Honor of E. K. Rand (New York, 1938) pp. 41-60;

- Tours: Tours: E. K. Rand, A Survey of the manuscripts of Tours. Studies in the Script of Tours 2 vols. (Cambridge, Mass., 1929).

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The course will be delivered through lectures combined with laboratory-based activities. Lectures will focus on the historical and theoretical framework of the topics addressed, while laboratory sessions will involve the direct analysis of reproductions of Carolingian manuscripts and other written sources, with particular attention to the reading and transcription of documents such as early library catalogues.
Guided exercises and collective discussions will be included throughout the course in order to develop palaeographical skills and to foster the informed application of methodological tools to the study of manuscript sources. Teaching materials and reproductions used during the course will be made available to students.

Attendance is strongly recommended. Participation in classes, and especially in laboratory activities, is considered an integral part of the learning process, as it is aimed at developing practical skills in the reading and analysis of manuscript sources.

The course will begin on 23 February and will consist of a total of ten sessions. Classes will take place on Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Palaeography classroom, and on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Toesca classroom.

Assessment will be based on a written laboratory-based examination and an oral examination. The written component will consist of practical activities carried out during class sessions and is intended to assess students’ ability to apply theoretical knowledge. In particular, students will be required to transcribe and analyse manuscript sources, such as early library catalogues and other documents relevant to book production and circulation in the Carolingian period.
The oral examination will assess students’ overall knowledge of the course content, their ability to situate the topics discussed within their historical and methodological context, and their appropriate use of specialized terminology. Assessment will take into account both theoretical understanding and the ability to apply it to the analysis of written sources.

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