Papers by Caterina Franchi
Eikasmós, 2023
This article examines the hand-written notes on the first folios and on f. 393v of ms. Par. gr. 1... more This article examines the hand-written notes on the first folios and on f. 393v of ms. Par. gr. 1711, which contains different historical texts ranging from Georgios Syncellos to the Alexan- der Romance, trying to retrace its history and its possessors from the 10th to the 17th century.
Accademia nazionale dei Lincei eBooks, 2019
I (Ath. Iber. 209) is a complex manuscript, containing different authors (Euripides, Aeschylus, D... more I (Ath. Iber. 209) is a complex manuscript, containing different authors (Euripides, Aeschylus, Dionysius Periegetas, Theocritus, Tzetzes and Pindar), each written by (one or more) different scribes. The scholia to the Persae preserved by this ms. are written by several hands (I1-5, Ib). Among these, the earlier ones are I1 and Ib: the first one had at his disposal a ms. with scholia vetera of Medicean type and can be assigned to the first half of the 13th century, while the second one uses an antigraphon with Φ scholia and can be dated around the mid 13th century. The other hands integrated their work adding some further annotations, what places it in a learned environment. Some hypothesis are proposed on the composition and history of the manuscript, with a particular focus on its employment within the Bessarion’s circle.
This volume contains selected papers from the XV International Graduate Conference, highlighting ... more This volume contains selected papers from the XV International Graduate Conference, highlighting the latest scholarship from a new generation of Late Antique and Byzantine scholars from around the world. The theme of the conference explored the interaction between power and the natural and human environments of Byzantium, an interaction that is an essential part of the empire\u2019s legacy. This legacy has come down to us through buildings, literature, history and more, and has proved enduring enough to intrigue and fascinate scholars centuries after the fall of Constantinople. From religion and trade at the end of Antiquity, imperial propaganda and diplomacy at the end of the first millennium, to culture and conquest under the Komnenian and Palaeologan dynasties \u2013 this volume demonstrates the length and breadth of the forays being made by young academics into the still often undiscovered country of the Late Antique and Byzantine world
L'articolo segue la vicenda turbolenta del sepolcro di Alessandro Magno, dalle fonti letterar... more L'articolo segue la vicenda turbolenta del sepolcro di Alessandro Magno, dalle fonti letterarie che lo descrivono fino ai ritrovamenti archeologici che non hanno ancora dato il frutto sperato. Si analizzano testi storici e para-letterari (Romanzo di Alessandro) e si segue la vicenda secondo le varie ipotesi pi\uf9 accreditate
Come nell\u2019epigramma posidippeo, anche nel Romanzo di Alessandro (III 33) si descrivono tre p... more Come nell\u2019epigramma posidippeo, anche nel Romanzo di Alessandro (III 33) si descrivono tre presagi, i quali precedono la morte del re: nel primo caso essi sono segni di vittoria, nel secondo funesti prodromi di una fine che per\uf2 prelude alla rinascita come essere supremo
Studi Classici e Orientali, 2020
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most abundant neurotrophin in the central nervous... more Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most abundant neurotrophin in the central nervous system and was shown to be involved in neuronal growth, differentiation and synaptic plasticity. A single nucleotide polymorphism at the pro-region of the BDNF gene (rs6265) has been reported to alter the amino acid from valine to methionine at codon 66 and was associated with neuropsychiatric disorders in several studies. To date, the results on the association of BDNF rs6265 to the aetiology of the neuropsychiatric illnesses have been inconsistent with some studies reporting a positive association and others reporting no association. Concerning the past inconsistent reports, this mini-review aims at determining the association of BDNF rs6265 and neuropsychiatric disorders among the different studies. Firstly, we discuss the findings on studies reporting the association of BDNF rs6265 with depression whereby a positive association between the BDNF variant and depression was obtained in several studies on the Caucasian, German, Chinese, and Malaysian population but not in studies on the Korean and other populations. Likewise, some studies found the occurrence of the SNP to be associated with a reduction in the BDNF level in depressed cases, but others found no effect at all. We then reported findings on the association of BDNF rs6265 with anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessivecompulsive disorder, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Val allele has been found associated with these disorders, whereas some studies reported the involvement of the Met allele, and some reported no association at all. Similarly, the association of the BDNF variant with the BDNF level remains controversial. It is, therefore, essential to conduct more studies with larger sample sizes and look at the haplotype level to determine the association.
Edizione critica sinottica del \uabDe hominis natura testamentum\ubb pseudo-galenic
Approaches to Greek Poetry, 2019
Landscapes of Power
At the end of times, the gates built to prevent the arrival of Gog and Mogog will be destroyed: t... more At the end of times, the gates built to prevent the arrival of Gog and Mogog will be destroyed: these tribes will then invade the world and ruin everything that was still alive and good. The Antichrist will then arrive, but then the fight will come in our favour, when The Last Emperor first and then Christ will defeat the evil. But who are these populations that will, at last, invade the earth? Who are Gog and Magog? Many correspondances have been made during the centuries - e.g. Scythians or Huns -, and we will never have a real answer. The aim of this paper is to investigate the literary representation of the Tribes of Gog and Magog and their followers, trying to understand which countries - both real and imaginary - they represented, and their evolution (also in a linguistic sense) in the apocalyptic tradition; it will then focus on the description of the landscapes they will leave - the image of the end of the world itself. Since the apocalyptic tradition is a never-ending tradition, my paper will focus on the early Middle Ages - expecially 6th, 7th and 8th centuries.
Byzantine and Neohellenic Studies, 2014
I (Ath. Iber. 209) is a complex manuscript, containing different authors (Euripides, Aeschylus, D... more I (Ath. Iber. 209) is a complex manuscript, containing different authors (Euripides, Aeschylus, Dionysius Periegetas, Theocritus, Tzetzes and Pindar), each written by (one or more) different scribes. The scholia to the Persae preserved by this ms. are written by several hands (I1-5, Ib). Among these, the earlier ones are I1 and Ib: the first one had at his disposal a ms. with scholia vetera of Medicean type and can be assigned to the first half of the 13th century, while the second one uses an antigraphon with Φ scholia and can be dated around the mid 13th century. The other hands integrated their work adding some further annotations, what places it in a learned environment. Some hypothesis are proposed on the composition and history of the manuscript, with a particular focus on its employment within the Bessarion’s circle.
Eikasmós, 2019
Bodl. Barocc. 17 and 23 are two of the three manuscripts containing the Alexander Romance as coll... more Bodl. Barocc. 17 and 23 are two of the three manuscripts containing the Alexander Romance as collected by the mathematician Francesco Barocci (1537-1604) in Crete. This paper examines the subscriptions and annotations on these books, attempting to find their owners and establish a link between them before Barocci’s collection.
Per i romanzi di Alessandro Magno. Storie, incontri, tradizioni testuali, 2018
The paper investigates the figure of Alexander the Great as he is presented in the apocalyptic tr... more The paper investigates the figure of Alexander the Great as he is presented in the apocalyptic tradition, both as forerunner of the Antichrist and as the descendant of Christ: a double nature which finds its mirror in his physical description in the Alexander Romance.
Eikasmós, 2018
Ms. Auct. T. 5. 21 of the λ version of the Alexander Romance is precisely dated (1516) and offers... more Ms. Auct. T. 5. 21 of the λ version of the Alexander Romance is precisely dated (1516) and offers three notes which give us the name of one of its possessors and readers, Cirillo Giustiniani, archbishop of Grevena. This article provides a new reading and a new interpretation of these notes after S. Lambros, supported by findings in the historical archives of the Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede.
Trends in Classics, 2018
Ms. Ath. Iber. 209 (olim 161) is a stratified manuscript, composed of different
texts (in order:... more Ms. Ath. Iber. 209 (olim 161) is a stratified manuscript, composed of different
texts (in order: Euripides, Aeschylus, Theocritus, Dionysius Periegetes,
Tzetzes, Pindar) written by different scribes, whose dating range from the 11th/12th
to the 14th century: the only certain note of possession belongs to Maximos Margounios
(end of the 16th century), who donated it, at his death, to the Monastery of
Moni Iviron. This paper offers, on the basis of four marginal notes, some hypotheses
on the history of the book as a material object, from its possible composition in
Constantinople to its stay in Italy, through a passage in the 15th Crete.
Reinterpretare Eschilo
I (Ath. Iber. 209) is a complex manuscript, containing different authors (Euripides, Aeschylus, D... more I (Ath. Iber. 209) is a complex manuscript, containing different authors (Euripides, Aeschylus, Dionysius Periegetas, Theocritus, Tzetzes and Pindar), each written by (one or more) different scribes. The scholia to the Persae preserved by this ms. are written by several hands (I1-5, Ib). Among these, the earlier ones are I1 and Ib: the first one had at his disposal a ms. with scholia vetera of Medicean type and can be assigned to the first half of the 13th century, while the second one uses an antigraphon with Φ scholia and can be dated around the mid 13th century. The other hands integrated their work adding some further annotations, what places it in a learned environment. Some hypothesis are proposed on the composition and history of the manuscript, with a particular focus on its employment within the Bessarion’s circle.
M. Lau, C. Franchi and M. Di Rodi (eds.), Landscapes of Power. Selected Papers from the XV Oxford University Byzantine Society International Graduate Conference, 2014
in “Storie di invisibili, marginali ed esclusi”, Dec 2012
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Papers by Caterina Franchi
texts (in order: Euripides, Aeschylus, Theocritus, Dionysius Periegetes,
Tzetzes, Pindar) written by different scribes, whose dating range from the 11th/12th
to the 14th century: the only certain note of possession belongs to Maximos Margounios
(end of the 16th century), who donated it, at his death, to the Monastery of
Moni Iviron. This paper offers, on the basis of four marginal notes, some hypotheses
on the history of the book as a material object, from its possible composition in
Constantinople to its stay in Italy, through a passage in the 15th Crete.
texts (in order: Euripides, Aeschylus, Theocritus, Dionysius Periegetes,
Tzetzes, Pindar) written by different scribes, whose dating range from the 11th/12th
to the 14th century: the only certain note of possession belongs to Maximos Margounios
(end of the 16th century), who donated it, at his death, to the Monastery of
Moni Iviron. This paper offers, on the basis of four marginal notes, some hypotheses
on the history of the book as a material object, from its possible composition in
Constantinople to its stay in Italy, through a passage in the 15th Crete.
The birth, life and death of Alexander, as those of the great characters of Antiquity, have always been sealed by prophecies, celestial upheavals, alignments of the stars, and all these legends find their apotheosis in the Alexander Romance, a fictional work that influenced the occidental and oriental Middle Ages with its fantastic tales, reports of voyages, strange creatures and fabulous places.
This paper will focus on the attestations in this text of astrology. First it will deal with the natal chart of Alexander as it is calculated by Nectanebus, his real father and magician, which presents textual and logical problems in the first third-century α version of the Romance. Then it will discuss astronomy - the stars Nectanebus shows Alexander in the seventh-century Byzantine version ε. Finally, it will concentrate on the series of prophecies related expecially to his birth and death that are to be found in all the versions, with a comparison with the prophecies as they are told by historians.
Caterina Franchi is a second year DPhil candidate in Medieval & Modern Languages. She studied in Bologna, Italy, and in Paris, and has always worked on the text known as the Alexander Romance, in its Greek versions, and on the reception of Alexander the Great’s figure in Medieval tradition. She is currently working on a critical edition of Greek manuscripts of the λ version (sixth or seventh century) of the Alexander Romance.