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Greek Papyrology: An Introduction

Module description

Greek papyri are a precious source for reconstructing ancient Greek literature and ancient Mediterranean history alike. Virtually anything one can picture being written down in daily life, including both books and documents, can be found among the fragments of Greek papyri unearthed from the remains of ancient towns and villages of Hellenistic, Imperial and Byzantine Egypt. In this course you will learn how to use papyri to gain a fuller understanding of Graeco-Roman culture and society, both in Egypt’s multicultural settlements and in the ancient Mediterranean at large. Working on a variety of materials such as literary pieces that never made it into the canon of Greek literature, or letters and petitions of private individuals whose voices cannot be heard through historiographical works, you will acquire skills for deciphering, reconstructing and interpreting Greek papyri, and you will learn what they contribute to our knowledge of the Greek and Roman world.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to:

• Introduce you to the field of papyrology, its methodologies and tools, potential and limitations, and ethical issues.
• Develop your skills for deciphering and contextualising papyri, and for using them in broader literary and historical studies.
• Explore the ways in which papyri allow us to understand facets of ancient culture and society that are difficult to glean through other types of sources.
• Develop your understanding of multiculturalism and diversity in the ancient world by analysing and contextualising the written products of individuals of different gender, ethnicity and social status living in Graeco-Egyptian towns.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate knowledge of different types of texts on papyrus and their significance
• 2. Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the provenance of papyri, the historical trajectory of the discipline and the related ethical implications
• 3. Analyse papyri as both artefacts and carriers of texts, and identify aspects of papyri that allow us to understand their contexts of production and use
• 4. Demonstrate understanding of the potential and limitations of reconstructing fragmentary texts

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the variety of sources we have for reconstructing antiquity and of the existence of specialist skills and methodologies for each type of source
• 6. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the importance of a holistic approach to antiquity in order to gain a more diverse view of ancient societies

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Perform both detail-oriented and broader in-context analysis
• 8. Conduct independent research, organising findings in a coherent argument and presenting results clearly and effectively
• 9. Produce both individual and collaborative work within a specific timeframe
• 10. Demonstrate understanding of how uncertain and/or incomplete information can and cannot be used to produce knowledge

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Definition and scope of Papyrology
• History and ethics of the discipline
• Deciphering and transcribing papyri: methodologies, tools, new technologies
• Papyri in context: reading and writing in the ancient world
• Literary and sub-literary papyri: new texts, non-canonical texts, the contribution of papyri to textual criticism
• Documentary papyri as a window on ancient societies

Introductory lectures will be followed by practical work on individual papyri, with student-led oral presentations and the collaborative creation of a blog presenting a selection of papyri for school students and the general public.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral will occur if an overall mark of less than 50% is achieved. In this case, a supplementary mini essay will be assigned where appropriate. The mark for this will be taken into consideration of the final overall grade.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• R. S. Bagnall (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Papyrology, Oxford/New York 2009.
• R. S. Bagnall, Reading Papyri, Writing Ancient History(second edition), London 2019.
• J. Rowlandson, Women and society in Greek and Roman Egypt: A Sourcebook, Cambridge 1998.
• E. G. Turner, Greek Manuscripts of the Ancient World (second edition revised and enlarged by P. J. Parsons), London 1987.
• K. Vandorpe, A Companion to Greco-Roman and Late Antique Egypt, Hoboken 2019.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=14098

Key words search

Greece, Rome, Egypt, Papyrology