Winter Semester 2025-2026

Academic Leave 

Spring Semester 2025-2026
 

EPI 152: Introduction to Greek Epigraphy
General background course, compulsory in the 4th semester.

The course consists of classroom lectures, invited lectures by guest speakers, and practical training in reading inscriptions at the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina. Assessment is by written examination.

This course offers a general introduction to the study of ancient Greek inscriptions and aims to familiarize students with the discipline of Greek Epigraphy. It defines the field of Epigraphy and its chronological and geographical scope, providing an overview of the history of writing in the ancient Greek world, including a concise presentation of the earliest pre-alphabetic writing systems and the phases of development of the ancient Greek alphabet from its beginnings to the Roman Imperial period.

Through the examination of representative examples, the main categories of ancient Greek inscriptions are presented. Selected inscriptions are analyzed to demonstrate their significance for political, social, and economic history (international relations, legislation, civic and social institutions, etc.), for religion (cults, religious traditions and beliefs, regulations governing sanctuaries, categories of dedications, etc.), for philology (writing, language, literature), and for various other fields within the study of antiquity.

The course also introduces students to the methods used in the study, commentary, and publication of inscriptions. It includes exercises in the techniques of documenting inscriptions and in the critical assessment and interpretation of epigraphic evidence as a product of a specific historical and geographical context. Optional written assignments focusing on the study and analysis of the content of inscriptions are offered to students.