In this course we examine the efforts of 15th century Renaissance scholars to find and return to prominence key texts of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. These texts, which had been preserved and transcribed by monasteries, had survived the dark ages due to the diligence of monks, for both education, curiosity, and a commitment to preserving records. These texts helped broaden the spirit of enquiry during the Renaissance, seeing a resurgence in interest for the classical world, and informing the age of enlightenment.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

• The Recovery of Manuscripts, David Rundle (on EHNE)
• The Swerve, Stephen Greenblatt
• Recovering Hidden Texts, Archeological Institute of America

COURSE OUTLINE

• The beginnings of writing
• Texts of the Greek and Roman Empires
• Fall of the Roman Empire and subsequent loss of ancient texts
• Role of Muslim scholars, Byzantine Empire, Carolingian Empire and the Monasteries in preserving texts
• The renaissance
• Chasing ancient texts today using technology (e.g. the Herculaneum scrolls)

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Gain an increased understanding and appreciation of the ways texts were transcribed and protected by different groups
2. Have an appreciation of the efforts during the Renaissance to re-introduce these texts into popular culture