Tomorrow will mark the end of my second week of classes. We are already two thirds through the first course! So far, things have been mostly review. There is broad consensus over the development of Roman/Latin script from the first century to the year 1000, which roughly traces the changes from Roman capitals to Carolingian minuscule. (what you are reading right now is a combination of versions of "ROMAN CAPITALS" and "carolingian minuscule.") After 1000, things get rocky, and there seem to be as many different terminological and taxonomical schemes as there are paleographers (people who study old forms of writing.) The next week should be exciting, exhausting, and confusing, as I learn yet another scheme for analyzing that most complex family of scripts, Gothic.
On Tuesday, we visited the Biblioteca Angelica, a public library in Rome with a large collection of manuscripts. Prof. Mulchahey took us out for lunch at a nice trattoria after class. Filippo ordered carciofi alla romana (Roman-style artichokes), and I had saltimbocca (veal cutlet with prosciutto). I offered to trade him a cutlet for an artichoke, and both our meals were improved.
I don't know how they prepare it, but the artichoke is cooked in a way that makes the whole thing tender and delicious, so that you eat it with a fork and knife, and nothing goes to waste.
After Mass on Sunday, I had the strange luck to meet Patrick Owens, an extraordinary Latinist, and Jason Pedicone, one of the founders of the Paideia Institute, which runs Latin and Greek immersion programs throughout the year in Rome, Paris, Southern France, and Greece. I have known about them for several years and have worked with people who have worked with them, so it was nice to finally meet them. They got a good bit of publicity earlier this year when a Princeton classicist gave them a glowing review. The jury is out on whether Latin and the humanities will survive, but if they do, it will be because of the radical (in the good, etymological sense of that word) work being done by groups like Paideia.
Jason invited me out to lunch, where I met some of the other Paideia folks, and then asked if I would like to go on their 'Obelisk Odyssey' that evening. I did, and I got to see Matthew McGowan, a friend and mentor of mine who is now the Chair of Classics at Fordham, married, and the father of two! He introduced me to four or five people as '[his] good friend Erik, who should have come to Fordham, but studies at Notre Dame.' It was great to get to see him again.
The following evening, I went to Paideia's 'sessio sub arboribus,' a venerable tradition begun by Reginald Foster in his Roman days and continued by Paideia today. While there, I met Fr. Daniel Gallagher, the head of the Vatican's Latin Letters department and got to speak Latin and sing Gregorian chant. An excellent evening!
Today I went to St. Peter's on a whim with a friend from class for a quick visit. I will need to plan a bit better to do it justice, so I will wait to write more until then. When I move in the middle of July, it will be a five minute walk, so I plan on visiting frequently. While at the Vatican, I fulfilled the one commission that I had for my trip to Rome: I bought a book. Despite the fact that they are by no means rare and can be delivered with free shipping within mere days of placing an order, my friend Daniel asked that I buy him a Latin catechism in Rome. Daniel will be happy to know that I did not buy the book in Rome, but at the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, which is within the sovereign territory of the Holy See.
VOTVM SOLVIT LIBENS MERITO
If anyone else wants anything from Rome, let me know!
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