This is an introductory course in Greek Palaeography addressed to students with either little or no knowledge of Greek, who attend mainly the intercollegiate University of London MA programme in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, MA Classics, and RHUL MA History: Hellenic Studies, or pursue MPhil/PhD studies in the field of Classical and Byzantine studies.

The course concentrates on the study of the Greek minuscule script in the Byzantine period, concentrating on 9th-12th-century hands. It aims to bring students up to a level where they would be able to transcribe texts from facsimiles of Greek manuscripts, distinguish different styles, comment on the layout and the script, date these manuscripts, and place them in the cultural milieu in which they were produced. The material is adapted each time to the level of the class. In general the course covers simpler minuscule literary hands, nomina sacra, ligatures, abbreviations and symbols.

This full-unit module (40 CR) involves 40-60 hours of teaching and course work over two terms, mainly transcribing texts from facsimiles of dated manuscripts and commenting on the layout of the text and on the script in class. Weekly transcriptions of, and commentary on, facsimiles of manuscripts are produced by the students, which are returned with corrections and comments. In addition, students produce a written assignment (2,500 words) in the beginning of the second term, which is discussed individually.

Assessment is by a written exam in May. Students are asked to transcribe three unseen texts of about 15-30 lines, identify the subject, comment on the layout and the script and place an approximate or precise date.