Classical Philology Research Articles

Converting philology to philosophy A Platonic model and its inversion in Homer and Classical Philology

This article intends to demonstrate that Plato is present in the young Nietzsche’s thinking, particularly in the definition of philology that is proposed in Homer and Classical Philology. Indeed, Plato’s Sophist makes it possible to comprehend a core aspect of Nietzsche’s thinking on philology, that which is the starting point for all his thinking as it gets developed in the inaugural lecture: the contradiction between the two fundamental trends of philology (aesthetic classicism and historical criticism) and the paralyzing consequences for the practising of it if this contradiction is taken seriously. Furthermore, the Sophist makes it possible to point out an aspect relating to how Nietzsche, in his lecture, tries to overcome the paralyzing effect of the contradiction found in philology, namely through an inversion of Socratic-Platonic logic, according to which a contradiction cannot arise in a concept and has to be purged so as to clear the pathway towards obtaining true knowledge. Instead of adhering to this purging approach, he accepts the contradiction that, at the time, characterized philology. The result of his position is a completely different way of understanding the nature of concepts and truth.

Из истории антиковедения в Императорском Казанском университете: кафедра римской словесности в 80–90-е гг. XIX в.

The article deals with the history of classical studies in the Imperial Kazan' University in 1880-1890s, which was connected with the activities of two professors at the Chair of the Roman Literature, Darius Naguevskiy (1845-1918) and Stanislaw Opatskiy (1847-?, after 1900). According to the students of the history of classical research at the Kazan' University in the late 19th century, studies in the Roman history and literature were represented there in this period at a considerably lower scale than those of the Ancient Greek history, language and literature. One should ask why the Kazan' University failed to shape the specific tradition of studying the Roman antiquity, in spite of its employing throughout the 19th century prominent Romanists (N.M. Blagoveshchenskiy, V.I. Modestov). Besides the Ministry of Public Enlightenment was obviously interested in promoting the courses of the Chair of the Roman Literature, as it appointed for it with a brief interval two Classical philologists specialized in Latin poetry and prose, Dr. Lit. D. Naguevskiy in 1883 and M. Lit. S. Opatskiy in 1885. The article attempts to answer this question taking into account both essential and personal factors of the problem, the latter being the individual features of the two professors and their conflicts.

Hypercriticism: A Case Study in the Rhetoric of Vice

This article traces the history of a scholarly vice of little renown: hypercriticism. Focusing on classical philologists and biblical scholars in nineteenth-century Germany, it examines how Hyperkritik developed from a technical philological term into a pejorative label that was widely invoked to discredit the latest trends in classical philology and, especially, biblical scholarship. Methodologically, this broad use of the term challenges historians’ preference for treating scholarly virtues and vices as norms tied to scholars’ research practices. The article therefore develops a rhetorical approach, complementary to the praxeological one, in which scholarly vice terms are interpreted as parts of a repertoire of scholarly “don'ts” on which both specialists and nonspecialists could draw in addressing the perceived ills of scholarly work.

Battle for “Donat”: а discussion about the old and new classical philology in Russia (1847–1848)

Battle for “Donat”: а discussion about the old and new classical philology in Russia (1847–1848)

Psychological Factors Influencing Attitudes towards Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide and Palliative Care among Medical Students and Doctors in Training.

Background: This study aimed to analyse the attitudes of medical students, Polish and classical philology students and trainee doctors towards the legalisation and practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide, to explore their beliefs about palliative care and to identify the cognitive, behavioural and emotional factors influencing these attitudes. Methods: An anonymous 22-question survey was sent by email to 670 participants, who comprised students of medicine, students of Polish and classical philology and trainee physicians. Results: Out of the 670 people invited to the survey, 313 (46.72%) responded; 215 (68.69%) and 112 (35.80%) participants supported the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide, respectively. No differences were found between the respondent groups studied. The respondents' attitudes were influenced by religion, place of residence and professed values in the doctor-patient relationship. Among the medical students and trainee doctors surveyed, the declared willingness to perform euthanasia was lower, with 90 (43.7%) people, than the support for its legalisation, with 135 (65.5%) people. Significantly higher support for palliative care was expressed by fifth- and sixth-year medical students and trainee doctors, with 88 respondents (89.89%), less support was expressed by first- and fourth-year medical students, with 74 respondents (68.5%), and the lowest support was observed among Polish and classical philology students, with 63 respondents (58.9%). Conclusions: The legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide was supported by more than two-thirds and one-third of all the respondents, respectively, with the majority of medical students and trainee doctors surveyed expressing uncertainty or lack of readiness towards their practice. More than 70% of all the respondents showed a positive opinion towards palliative care, with the lowest support being among Polish and classical philology students.

The Women of Trachis Jealousy, Hatred and Revenge in Sophocles' Tragedy Intrafamilial Marriage and the Husbands' Widow's Wills the Famous Oracle

In this tragedy by Sophocles, the real theme is the treatment of "prey women" and their influence on the psychological family situation and society in classical Athens. "The Women of Trachis" as well as "Oedipus Rex" and "Oedipus on Colonus" show what an enormously perceptive, in today's terms, psychologist and sociologist Sophocles was. In the fifth century BC, many wars were waged in Greece and prisoners were turned into slaves. Classical Greece thrived on slavery, which also included so-called prey woman. In The Women of Trachis Sophocles describes the jealousy of a wife, with the resulting actions, when the marriage is overstretched and the jealousy is increased through corresponding insults (over the decades). How hatred and revenge then gain the upper hand, ultimately leading to death. The intra-family marriage policy in Athens, which often leads to emotional and social unhappiness, is also a clear theme in the "Women of Trachis", long before Sophocles' two Oedipus tragedies. In his tragedies, Sophocles dealt with sociological themes and human suffering. The poets changed the mythology according to the requirements of their desired intention of the tragedy. The transformation of the myth consists in its integration into the polis and its new reference systems. The fact that the tragic poet sets the problems of his time in a past contributes to the possibility of the tragedy's reception. In the tragedies Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus, for example, a reference to the social reality in Athens at the time is assumed. The tragedies that were performed at the Dionysia (festival) are characterized by an interpenetration of present and past. Tragedies were organized as competitions, so that the poets had to take the audience's sensitivities into account. Classical philologists are often prevented from producing realistic text analyses and interpretations by idealizing and glorifying Greek tragedies and thus not taking into account the social customs and laws of the time. If we think, that the Greeks had no interest in such a psychological process as how a decision comes about, we are seriously mistaken and we do not do justice to the great, psychologically astute tragedians. Without a sociological, psychological and medical approach, applied to the tragedies that contain such themes in Sophocles and also Euripides in excellent execution, we will not do justice to these brilliant poets. We are left with interpretations without a sociological and psychological understanding of Greek classicism.

«Филологическое обозрение». Судьба первого специализированного научного периодического издания по античному миру дореволюционной России

This article is devoted to an overview of the fate of the first specialized scientific magazine on the ancient world of pre-revolutionary Russia. “Philological Survey”, created by the efforts of private individuals, the teacher of the 3rd Moscow grammar school A.V. Adolf and the teacher of the 1st Moscow grammar school V.G. Appelrot interested in the development of science, was published from 1891 to 1902 for eleven years, during which 21 issues were published. In the second half of the 19th century in the scientific community, the need for the existence of such a press organ has long been the necessity, and its creation has become an important and significant event for science. The leading domestic experts in ancient history and classical philology of that time published their works on its pages, discussions were held, translations and original texts of ancient authors were printed there. Moreover, many major antique scholars helped with the maintenance of certain subsections of the journal free of charge. From the very beginning of its work, the editorial staff experienced great financial difficulties, which mostly the staff took on itself. Financial reports show that already in the first years of the publication of the “Philological Survey”, there was a large budget deficit. The reason for this, we believe, is the highly specialized nature of the publication, devoted to scientists, teachers and teachers of ancient history and classical philology, which in this period of time in pre-revolutionary Russia were still not enough to provide the magazine with a marketability that could cover the costs of the publication. The state provided the Philological Survey with financial support in the form of annual subsidies, since the Ministry of Public Education understood the importance of the Philological Survey for the development of science. Such an assessment, made by the scientific committee of the Ministry, was recorded in archival documents and is beyond doubt. However, this support was not enough. The budget deficit continued to increase steadily from year to year. For this reason, and due to the deteriorating health of both editors, the magazine had to be closed. Nevertheless, it played an important role in the development of Russian antiquities.

Działalność naukowa i dydaktyczna doc. dr Ireny Radtke na Uniwersytecie im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

Docent Irena Radtke (1923–2014) was an exceptional archivist and archival science teacher. This article, written to celebrate her 100th birthday, aims at highlighting her achievements as an academic and as a teacher. For her whole professional life, Irena Radtke was associated with the State Archive in Poznań and with Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. She juggled her duties as an archivist with her work as a teacher and scientist. She majored in history and classical philology, and in 1963, she obtained her Ph.D. in humanities. All her professional life, she was dedicated to conducting archival research. Her research interests mainly included the evolution of registry forms, registry systems (she was an expert in Prussian registry), archival methods, register and information equipment, biography studies, source science, and regional studies. She was a co-author of archival science textbooks for students and archivists. Her achievements in academia and science have greatly contributed to the development of archival studies in Poland. Her high scientific and professional qualifications helped her gain employment in 1976 at the Division of Archival Studies of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, where she was also a lecturer and a tutor. She worked there until 1988. For many years, she was the backbone of archival studies in Poznań.

Výchovná zložka v učebnici Júliusa Špaňára „Latinčina pre gymnáziá“

The present study deals with the educational component in the textbook Latin for Grammar Schools by the classical philologist Julius Špaňár. Since the textbook was written during the communist period, the main research question was to find out whether the textbook is aimed at forming pupils' consciousness based on a Marxist-Leninist worldview or whether it reflects the values of Greco-Roman antiquity. The research dealt with the translation sentences of the textbook and the analysis of their content. The results of the analysis showed what values and themes are presented in the textbook and what sources of inspiration the author drew on. The research provides important insights for a better understanding of the Latin for Grammar Schools textbook and its educational function.

Latin in Soviet Secondary Schools (1948–1954): Philology and Ideology

In the years between 1948 and 1954, several schools in the Soviet Union incorporated Latin into the curriculum for high school students. To implement the reform, S. P. Kondratyev and A. I. Vasnetsov developed a textbook that has gone through four editions. The textbook includes chrestomathic materials with excerpts from Latin texts and methodological recommendations. The manuals were compiled hastily without adequate discussion of their content. The innovation, which consisted in the reorganization of grammatical material, the different selection of original Latin texts (extracts from the works of Herodotus, Justin, and Maciej Miechowita describing the ancient state of territories that were part of the Soviet Union), and an increase in the proportion of historical and linguistic material in the explanation of grammar rules, met with disapproval from the professional community of classical philologists, who criticized the teaching and methodological approach of the course. Kondratyev and Vasnetsov only made concessions by 1953, but they tried to strengthen the ideological and educational components in the teaching of Latin in schools. The adapted texts and proverbs chosen for the students demonstrated those characteristics of the Romans that corresponded with the ideal of a Soviet person (collectivism, courage, determination in overcoming difficulties, humility, comradeship, selflessness, etc.). A number of historical and linguistic references in textbooks allude to contemporary events and, consequently, play the role of political education. For example, the preservation of the Roman vocabulary in conditions of dependence on the Etruscans can be compared to the resistance of the Slavic population in Bulgaria. However, the experiment was abandoned in 1954. This article considers the teaching and methodology of Latin as a marker of ideological processes. The introduction of this subject in secondary schools fits within the general context of late Stalinist classicism.

LATIN IN THE TIME OF WAR

This article is about the importance of the classical languages outside the "ivory tower" of academic study of the ancient texts in the midst of everyday life, even in wartime! It attempts to show students what orientation can be given in the chaos of destruction and death, in the midst of war. The article also contains a critical examination of classical philology during the Nazi era in Germany, which I witnessed indirectly through my teachers. And even today, too many philologists in Germany are still apolitical and do not recognise the signs of the times, in which it is necessary to courageously take sides in the fight for democracy and freedom.

Rereading Nietzsche with Philosophical Hermeneutics

In this article I examine Nietzsche’s commentaries on the discipline of classical philology in relation to twentieth century philosophical hermeneutics. I argue that Nietzsche frequently made use of the concept of “life” to reflect ‘meta-critically’ on philology and nineteenth century hermeneutics, and that this use is much better represented by Heidegger and Gadamer than representatives of the standard Lebensphilosophie reading. Whereas the standard life-philosophical reading suggests that Nietzsche viewed the activity of interpretation as a mere symptom of biological, psychological life, the hermeneutic reading suggests that Nietzsche uses the concept of “life” to refer to the effective reality of interpretation, i.e., the “hermeneutic situation.” By this reading, Nietzsche’s interest in “life” is in fact an interest in deciphering the meaning content behind our own interpretations, and thus implies a commitment to interpretive pluralism—an interpretive pluralism which Nietzsche recognized as being essentially ontological in character.

Students’ Perception on Game-Based Learning Using Technology: Kahoot! As a Case Study

There have been studies which exploring students’ perception on the use of kahoot!. However, research on investigating students’ opinion on the implementation of kahoot and students’ recommendation for educational stake-holders is uncommon. This study relies on semi-structured interview data from 15 second-year students (10 female and 5 male) enrolling in the Introduction to Linguistics Class in English Education Department of STKIP Yapis Dompu. This study aims to explore the benefits of the use of kahoot, the barriers and students’ recommendation to educational stake-holders for improvement. The data were analysed using thematic analysis adapted from (Braun & Clarke, 2006) which consists of 6 steps. The finding of this paper suggested that the implementation of kahoot in learning process had four benefits: Firstly, Kahoot creates fun and interested learning atmosphere. Secondly, it riggers students’ attention and focus. Thirdly, it facilitates comprehension of material Taught. Lastly, Kahoot! fosters positive competitiveness among students. Additionally; there were two main barriers of using kahoot in this research: firstly, limitations on internet access. Secondly, not enough time to answer. The surprising conclusion of the research was that, all participants had never been exposed to game-based learning platform during their formal school (elementary and high school); they only were only exposed to game-based learning platform at this introduction to linguistics class. Therefore; all participants highly recommended to all lecturers and teachers to game-based learning platform in their teaching. This study relied on game-based learning platform kahoot. Therefore, similar study which explores other game-based learning platforms is highly recommended.

Attitudes and Opinions of Classical Philology Students in Greece Regarding the Teaching Quality of Their Studies

This research emerged from a contemplation regarding the quality of teaching and the content of studies provided to Classical Philology students, aiming for the optimal enhancement of their education. A literature review revealed the innovative nature of this research, as no similar studies were identified in both the Greek and international contexts. Consequently, it can be argued that this research could serve as a reference point for further similar investigations.

Late Antique Rhetoric and the Rhetorical School in R. Cribiore's Research

The article discusses the scientific biography and the main directions of research of the American antiquarian and classical philologist Raffaella Cribiore, one of the world's leading specialists in the study of Late Antique rhetoric and school as the most important link in the cultural continuum between Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Among the personalities of most interest to the scholar is Libanius, the Antiochian rhetorician, the greatest representative of the Third Sophistic. Quite a few works by Libanius have been preserved, most of this corpus is still awaiting translation. The researcher's interests were territorially localized in Egypt. The third leading theme of Cribiore's narrative is gender (female epistolography of Late Antiquity). One of the leading directions in Cribiore's research is the study of the history of education and the higher rhetorical school, rhetoric and sophistry of Late Antiquity, especially 4th century Antioch, and rhetoric as a cultural phenomenon. It was possible to establish that R. Cribiore's particularly detailed study of Late Antique sophistry and epistolography, which was not only an academic discipline and a necessary skill, but also an important aspect of academic and, more importantly, social career in Late Antiquity. The analysis of the content and comparative comparison of the works of modern studies within the framework of the designated problems allows us to assert that R. Cribiore was a leading specialist in the field of ancient rhetorical education, and in general higher education in Late Antiquity, and on some positions — even before the 8th century.

Effects of Reflective Thinking On Deep Learning in Theoretical Linguistics Classes

Effects of Reflective Thinking On Deep Learning in Theoretical Linguistics Classes

호메로스 문제와 한국 구비문학 연구

This article aims to comprehensively examine the Homeric Questions, which are treated as the most important issues in Western classical philology, in relation to the tasks of Korean oral literature research. The modern debates on Homer's problem began, developed, deepened, and has continued to today as analysts came forward to refute the traditional Unitarianism that Homer was the author of the two epic poems Iliad and Odyssey. Analysts have divided and analyzed the works in detail, arguing that the two epics are a combination of poems by several writers, not by one author, in the process of oral and literal transmission. On the other hand, there appeared the 『new analysis』 that inherited the research results of analysis theory while advocating the position of unitarians. It argues that a single author like Homer could be acknowledged, but he imitated and combined the creations of several previous writers. Unlike them, scholars who explored the creation process of Homer's epic from the perspective of oral literature tried to explain Homer's epic as a product of collective creation, putting the tradition in the foreground than a poet as the author. In addition, as the perspectives of narratology and cognitive science are applied to Homer's problem, the researches are developing increasingly diversely. It is a very important task for us to consider how to deepen and develop discussions related to the preservation, research, and creation of our oral literature, while examining such Homer issues.

Najstarszy zachowany leksykon przyrodniczy na ziemiach polskich. Z warsztatu filologa i wydawcy. Kwestie edytorskie, perspektywy badawcze

The oldest preserved botanico-medical lexicon in the Polish lands. A report from editorial and philological works. Editorial questions and scientifical problems This article presents the main issues related to the development and critical edition of the oldest manuscript entirely devoted to the subject of botanical, zoological and pharmaceutical and originating from Poland. Such an issue requires a more detailed discussion and precise presentation to a broad audience not only due to the specific and atypical nature of the research papers, differences in the development of common-use Latin texts and literary texts but also due to its importance for other fields of science: the history of pharmacy and medicine. The article comprises the initial status quaestionis over the manuscript number ms225 – the opus of Jan Stanko, dated 1472, stored away in the Archives of the Krakow Cathedral Chapter. The manuscript has not yet been the subject of a detailed study; some crucial remarks on its subject are included in Józef Rostafiński’s Średniowieczna Historya Naturalna w Polsce, published in Cracow in 1900. By profession, Rostafiński was a botanist, thus his coverage vastly differs from the method in which the text would be analysed by a classical philologist and a book publisher. The article provides preliminary findings on the history of the manuscript, its characteristics and peculiarities, and also raises issues related to the methodology of codicological research facilitating the understanding of the text, including the complexity of the lexis used in the text. Parles the specifics of research on ancient texts that are not Piotr Wolski literary works. The final part of the article illustrates the main objectives: source and linguistic research, the principles of editorial work, as well as further research perspectives.

“Educare all'Antico”. Teaching Classical Civilisation in Italian primary and lower secondary schools

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to offer an overview of an educational project that brought Classical Civilisation to pupils in the Pisa area between 2004 and 2009, through a cooperation between the Department of Classical Philology at our University and the Provincial Administration of Pisa.1 The project was aimed at pupils of primary and lower secondary schools, in response to a thorough reform of the Italian school system that excluded some pupils from studying Greek and Roman civilisations in as much depth as other parts of history. This article will first provide an overview of the Italian education system and its recent reforms, after which the project Educare all'Antico will be discussed.

Metaphorical Uses of Proper Names and the Continuity Hypothesis

Abstract According to proponents of the continuity hypothesis, metaphors represent one end of a spectrum of linguistic phenomena, which includes various forms of loosening/broadening, such as category extensions and approximations, as well as hyperbolic interpretations. The continuity hypothesis is used to establish that the inferences derived from the set of linguistic expressions mentioned above result from the same or nearly similar pragmatic processes. In this paper, we want to challenge that particular aspect of the continuity hypothesis. We do so based on considerations and analysis of an understudied linguistic phenomenon that we call the metaphorical uses of proper names (MPNs). We first explain how MPNs represent a unique linguistic class distinguishable from, for example, nicknames. In addition, we offer some remarks on how MPNs can be understood against the background of current debates between referentialists and predicativists about names. Our discussion leads us to conclude that MPNs are categorically different from literal interpretations of proper names. We spell out the consequences that the results of our analysis have for the continuity hypothesis.