DSBcB43 The Etruscan Civilisation: History, Language and Culture

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
12/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Dr. Riccardo Massarelli (lecturer), Mgr. et Mgr. Markéta Melounová, Ph.D. (deputy)
Dr. Paolo Vitellozzi (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. et Mgr. Markéta Melounová, Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 14. 10. 16:00–17:40 A21, Tue 15. 10. 16:00–19:40 A21, Wed 16. 10. 16:00–19:40 B2.21, Thu 17. 10. 16:00–17:40 C33
Prerequisites
None. As the lectures will be held in English, listening comprehension is recommended.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 29 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to provide the students with an overview of history of the Etruscan civilization (first part) and a deeper insight into the Etruscan language (second part of the course).
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to explain the possible origins and the development of the Etruscan civilization, they will be capable of describing the basic characteristic features of the Etruscan language.
Syllabus
  • A. History and Culture
  • The seminar aims at providing a general introduction to the Etruscan civilisation from its early development up to the Roman conquest and will be divided into three short sections.
  • The first section will be dedicated to the problem of the origin of the Etruscans, their early history and the rise and flourishing of aristocracy in the Orientalising Period.
  • The second part (Archaic and Classical periods) will be dealing with the birth of the Etruscan cities and the adoption of an urban type of society, and consequently with the political organisation (government and magistrates), the religious system (temples and sanctuaries, rituals and cults) and the economic structures; this part will also discuss the social conflicts of the fifth century BC and the transformations they produced.
  • The third part (Late Classical and Hellenistic) will describe the new political forms of the fourth century BC, together with the definitive decline of Etruria and its progressive inclusion in the Roman political system.
  • Each section of the seminar will be sub-divided into two parts, the first one dealing with political and social history, the second one describing various aspects of religion, art and architecture.
  • B. Language
  • Three classes of the seminar will be dedicated to the study of Etruscan language.
  • The first class will give an overview of the history of research and will introduce Etruscan epigraphy, starting from the acquisition of the alphabet, its transmission and its adaptation to the needs of Etruscan language.
  • The second class will show the main features of Etruscan language, examined by different levels of analysis (phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon)
  • The third class will deal with methodology and will present some of the most important texts and their relevance to the knowledge of the language.
Literature
    required literature
  • TORELLI, Mario (ed.) The Etruscans. Milan: Bompiani, 2000. pp. 43-73; 111-131; 141-191; 205-392; 477-501. (catalogue of the exhibition Venice 2000)
    recommended literature
  • NASO, Alessandro (ed.) Etruscology. Boston; Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017. Chapters 2-3, 7, 9, 10, 18-21, 32, 35, 39, 41, 45, 47, 51, 53, 57, 59, 63, 65, 69-71.
  • BELL, Sinclair; CARPINO, Alessandra A. (eds) A Companion to the Etruscans. Malden (MA); Oxford; Victoria: Wiley Blackwell, 2016. Chapters 1-8, 11-12, 14-15, 17-20, 23-27.
  • MacINTOSH TURFA, Jean (ed.) The Etruscan World. New York: Routledge, 2013. Chapters 5-9, 16, 18-19, 22, 24-33.
Teaching methods
Lectures, discussion.
Assessment methods
Apart from regular attendance, course requirements include a final test (details will be defined later on).
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught only once.
Teacher's information
The lectures will be held from October 14th to 18th, 2019.
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