The Modern Argonauts

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany
and
Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Italy

e-mail: ippolita.giannotta@stud.uni-goettingen.de

Ippolita Giannotta was born in Matera, Italy, on the 2nd of March 1990. Since childhood, she has always asked about the origins of her name, a name shared with her beloved grandmother. Her father explained who Ippolita was in Greek mythology, and since then she has felt a connection between her homeland and the past. The motto nomen est omen is true!

After a high-school degree obtained at a liceo classico, Ippolita studied to become a midwife; she wanted to discover and better understand a world that was still a taboo in her homeland, in the south of Italy. However, the connection and the reminder of her huge interest in the Classics was too strong, so she enrolled in Lettere classiche (Classics) in Bologna, a love that continued also after her bachelor. She then studied during her master Greek Philology, still at Alma Mater Studiorum.

Right now, Ippolita is writing her PhD in Greek Philology at the University of Göttingen in Germany, and she is working as a part-time researcher at the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony. During all her studies, she always worked with the students and the young people, which is why she also enjoys teaching Italian and Greek to university students.

Her PhD research focuses on the amusing Gallus, a dialogue written by Lucian of Samosata. Since 2024, she has been part of the project The Modern Argonauts at the University of Warsaw. Together with Irene Di Gioia, she is involved in the preparation of a quiz testing the mythological knowledge of the travellers.