MLAN 2610
ITAL 3610

Italian Literature in Translation


Prof. Fabio Girelli-Carasi

LECTURE 0  --  Italy: a cognitive grid
"Geography is Destiny"

History of the Western World in 7 easy steps

BCE  means  Before the Common Era.

CE means  Common Era.

The Common Era is a convention used to calculate the passage of time The beginning has been in the year 1, which in theory corresponds to the year in which Jesus was born. Until recently different terms were used: BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini = in the year of the Lord.)

CLICK HERE for a more complete explanation.

1000 BCE Hebrew civilization. Compilation of the Bible
500 BCE THE GREEK PERIOD

Greek Civilization. Foundation of Rome and the Roman Republic

1 CE THE ROMAN PERIOD

Birth of Jesus. Rome from Republic to Empire. First Roman Emperor: AUGUSTUS

500 CE THE DARK AGES

Collapse of the Roman Empire. Barbarian invasions. Collapse of civilization in Western Europe. Christianity surges.  

1000 CE THE MIDDLE AGES

Europe as a feudal society. Knight on white horses, damsels in distress, dragons, witches and the stuff fairy tales are made of. The reality was different: aristocrats and clergy dominated a population of serfs, similar to slaves.

1500 CE THE RENAISSANCE

 The "rebirth" of arts, science and civilization. Rationality, beauty and the highest aspirations of the human spirit. Florence is the center. Michelangelo, Leonardo, Botticelli, Galileo.

 

What is the purpose of art and beauty?

 

History matters, the history of beauty most of all.

 

 

2000 CE ANTHROPOCENE  LINK

The nuclear age, information technology, population explosion (from i1.6 billion in 7.7 billion in 2019. BTW, it was 6.1 billion in 2000. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

While we are at it
Population increase