The epigraphic landscape of Gortyna

Organized by Scuola Normale Superiore, the school is funded by the PNRR through the MERITA, the network for talent project*.
 
Date: 6 – 10 October  2025
Location:  Hagioi Deka and Gortyna (Crete) 
Total hours: 40
Max participants: 12
Language: English, Italian, and French
Application deadline: 20 July 2025
Target audience: Undergraduate/Master’s/PhD students in Ancient History (Italian and non-italian universities)
Application form

The School will be held in person at the mission house of the SAIA - Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Atene (Italian Archaeological School at Athens) in Hagioi Deka (Crete) and on the archaeological site of ancient Gortyna.

The programme aims to offer advanced training in Greek epigraphy. Drawing on a particularly rich body of documentation, spanning from the Archaic age to the Byzantine period, participants will strengthen their knowledge of the discipline through lectures and practical exercises. They will have the opportunity to explore the evolution of writing and communicative models over time by analyzing various types of preserved documents, their display within the areas of the ancient city, and the practices of reusing inscribed supports.

Participants will become familiar with all types of epigraphic documents, gaining an understanding of their display contexts and their function within the life of the city throughout its history. Lectures will take place at the mission house of the SAIA - Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Atene in Hagioi Deka and directly on site, where some inscriptions are still preserved. The programme includes lectures by specialists and practical study sessions. Visits are also planned to the new Museum of the Messará, which houses important pieces from the Gortynian epigraphic collection, and to the Heraklion Museum.

Each day consists of 8 hours of lectures (times 9-13 and 15-19) with a two-hour lunch break.

Participation in the course does not entail enrollment fees.
Admission to the course includes participation in the lectures, educational material, accommodation, meals, and local transportation during the days of the course. Travel to and from Hagioi Deka is the responsibility of the participants.

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* MERITA, the network for talent project is the result of a collaboration between five Italian academic institutions: the Scuola Normale Superiore, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, the Collegio Superiore dell’Università di Bologna, the Scuola Galileiana di Studi Superiori dell’Università di Padova and the Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati della Sapienza Università di Roma.
The MERITA project is funded within the Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR), Missione 4 – Istruzione e Ricerca, Componente 1, Investimento 3.4 "Didattica e competenze universitarie avanzate"- "Rafforzamento delle Scuole universitarie superiori". (National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 4 – Education and Research, Component 1, Investment 3.4 "Advanced university teaching and competences" - "Enhancement of the institutions for higher education").