This course will teach the fundamentals of the discipline (epigraphy) that constitutes the study of Greek texts inscribed on stone, metal, and other media. We will survey essential topics ranging from early alphabets and the relationship between script and phonology to the study of specialized branches of knowledge, such as onomastics and prosopography. We will pay special attention to the inscriptions' physical media and topographical context in conjunction with mastering the techniques of recording, reading, and interpreting their Greek texts. We will also closely engage with the rich and evolving scholarship of Greek epigraphy as well as the proper publication of inscriptions and related professional matters. Later weeks will focus on several discrete bodies of inscriptions, such as Attic decrees and sacred laws, that require substantial engagement with historical, legal, religious, and cultural context. This course will expose students to a wide array of ancient Greek dialects and will strengthen their command of non-literary as well as literary forms of Greek.
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