Berthe Marti
Encyclopedia
Berthe Marie Marti was a Swiss-American scholar and teacher of classical and medieval Latin
.
Education and degrees: Baccalauréat, Gymnase classique Cantonal, Lausanne
, 1922; Licenciée-ès-lettres (in Latin and English literature), University of Lausanne, 1925; MA in Latin, Bryn Mawr College, 1926; PhD in Latin, Bryn Mawr College, 1934. Dissertation: "The Adoration of the Roman Emperor from Augustus to Charlemagne," under the direction of Lily Ross Taylor.
Marti taught classical and medieval Latin at Bryn Mawr College
, as instructor in Latin and French (1930–1934), assistant professor of Latin (1935–1943), associate professor (1943–1951), and professor (1951–1963). She moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1963, and taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
as professor of classical and medieval Latin from 1963 until her retirement in 1976. For most of this period, she spent each fall in Rome, working on various research projects in the libraries of the American Academy in Rome
and the Vatican, and then taught at Chapel Hill in the spring of the year.
Among her numerous awards and distinctions: Rome Prize
to the American Academy in Rome, 1944–1945; Fulbright Research Grant in Italy, 1946; Guggenheim Fellowship
, 1954–1955; Martin Lectures
("Imitation and Originality in the Latin Epic of the Silver Age"), Oberlin College
, 1972–73; elected Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America
, 1977.
Marti published two books, and edition of Arnulph of Orleans: Glosule super Lucan
um (Rome 1958), and The Spanish College at Bologna in the Fourteenth Century (Philadelphia 1966), as well as numerous articles and reviews. Among her principal articles are "Arnulf and the Faits des Romans," Modern Language Quarterly 2 (1941) 3-23; "The Meaning of the Pharsalia
," American Journal of Philology 66 (1945) 352-376; "Seneca
's Tragedies: a New Interpretation," Transactions of the American Philological Association 76 (1945) 216-45; "Vacca in Lucanum," Speculum 25 (1950) 198-214; "Lucan's Invocation to Nero in the Light of the Medieval Commentaries," Quadrivium 1 (1956) 1-11; "1372: The Spanish College versus the Executors of Cardinal Albornoz's Testament," Studia Albornotiana 12 (1972) (= El Cardinal Albornoz y el Colegio de España) 93-129.
By her students, both undergraduate and graduate, Marti was known as a lively, exciting, and demanding teacher. She expected her students to read both carefully and widely (once terrifying a graduate class in Livy by asking them to read all of the fragments of the Roman annalists in their spare time) and to pay attention to the meanings of words, syntax, literary qualities, and historical questions in every text they read. Exceptionally generous with her time in assisting and supporting her students, she took special delight in introducing young people to the city of Rome and to the scholars, both Italian and American, who passed through the American Academy in Rome.
Through a bequest, Marti established the Berthe M. Marti Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome to enable graduate students from Bryn Mawr College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study and carry out research in Rome in the fields of early, classical, and medieval Latin, Latin palaeography
, Latin textual criticism, or some combination thereof. The Fellowship, now established as an Affiliated Fellowship of the American Academy in Rome, was first held by Eric Hutchinson of Bryn Mawr College in 2005-2006, followed by John Henkel of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2007–2008) and Jessica M. Sisk of Bryn Mawr College (2010–2011).
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
.
Education and degrees: Baccalauréat, Gymnase classique Cantonal, Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, 1922; Licenciée-ès-lettres (in Latin and English literature), University of Lausanne, 1925; MA in Latin, Bryn Mawr College, 1926; PhD in Latin, Bryn Mawr College, 1934. Dissertation: "The Adoration of the Roman Emperor from Augustus to Charlemagne," under the direction of Lily Ross Taylor.
Marti taught classical and medieval Latin at Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
, as instructor in Latin and French (1930–1934), assistant professor of Latin (1935–1943), associate professor (1943–1951), and professor (1951–1963). She moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1963, and taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
as professor of classical and medieval Latin from 1963 until her retirement in 1976. For most of this period, she spent each fall in Rome, working on various research projects in the libraries of the American Academy in Rome
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
and the Vatican, and then taught at Chapel Hill in the spring of the year.
Among her numerous awards and distinctions: Rome Prize
Rome Prize
The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists and to 15 scholars The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists...
to the American Academy in Rome, 1944–1945; Fulbright Research Grant in Italy, 1946; Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
, 1954–1955; Martin Lectures
Martin Classical Lectures
The Martin Classical Lectures is a function of the Charles Beebe Martin Foundation established at Oberlin College in Ohio.Charles Beebe Martin was a professor of Classics and classical archaeology at the College from 1880 to 1925. The foundation was set up to honor his memory.-Works produced by...
("Imitation and Originality in the Latin Epic of the Silver Age"), Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, 1972–73; elected Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America
Medieval Academy of America
The Medieval Academy of America is the largest organization in the United States promoting excellence in the field of medieval studies. It was founded in 1925 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
, 1977.
Marti published two books, and edition of Arnulph of Orleans: Glosule super Lucan
Lucan
Lucan is the common English name of the Roman poet Marcus Annaeus Lucanus.Lucan may also refer to:-People:*Arthur Lucan , English actor*Sir Lucan the Butler, Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend...
um (Rome 1958), and The Spanish College at Bologna in the Fourteenth Century (Philadelphia 1966), as well as numerous articles and reviews. Among her principal articles are "Arnulf and the Faits des Romans," Modern Language Quarterly 2 (1941) 3-23; "The Meaning of the Pharsalia
Pharsalia
The Pharsalia is a Roman epic poem by the poet Lucan, telling of the civil war between Julius Caesar and the forces of the Roman Senate led by Pompey the Great...
," American Journal of Philology 66 (1945) 352-376; "Seneca
Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
's Tragedies: a New Interpretation," Transactions of the American Philological Association 76 (1945) 216-45; "Vacca in Lucanum," Speculum 25 (1950) 198-214; "Lucan's Invocation to Nero in the Light of the Medieval Commentaries," Quadrivium 1 (1956) 1-11; "1372: The Spanish College versus the Executors of Cardinal Albornoz's Testament," Studia Albornotiana 12 (1972) (= El Cardinal Albornoz y el Colegio de España) 93-129.
By her students, both undergraduate and graduate, Marti was known as a lively, exciting, and demanding teacher. She expected her students to read both carefully and widely (once terrifying a graduate class in Livy by asking them to read all of the fragments of the Roman annalists in their spare time) and to pay attention to the meanings of words, syntax, literary qualities, and historical questions in every text they read. Exceptionally generous with her time in assisting and supporting her students, she took special delight in introducing young people to the city of Rome and to the scholars, both Italian and American, who passed through the American Academy in Rome.
Through a bequest, Marti established the Berthe M. Marti Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome to enable graduate students from Bryn Mawr College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study and carry out research in Rome in the fields of early, classical, and medieval Latin, Latin palaeography
Palaeography
Palaeography, also spelt paleography is the study of ancient writing. Included in the discipline is the practice of deciphering, reading, and dating historical manuscripts, and the cultural context of writing, including the methods with which writing and books were produced, and the history of...
, Latin textual criticism, or some combination thereof. The Fellowship, now established as an Affiliated Fellowship of the American Academy in Rome, was first held by Eric Hutchinson of Bryn Mawr College in 2005-2006, followed by John Henkel of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2007–2008) and Jessica M. Sisk of Bryn Mawr College (2010–2011).