Non “un passatempo domenicale”. La storia della storiografia secondo Arnaldo Momigliano e la recensione alla “Storia greca” di Helmut Berve

Abstract

Starting from Arnaldo Momigliano's harsh review of Helmut Berve's Storia greca, published in Athenaeum and translated into Italian by Laterza, the article examines the reception of the German scholar's work in the Italian context. This review, which traces the various phases of Helmut Berve's production, ends with a memorable statement on the importance of the history of scholarship, which has rightly been invoked by many scholars. After a brief presentation of the figure of H. Berve, the article shows how Momigliano's firm stance against such a publishing initiative was reflected in his own dramatic biographical story and in the controversy that pitted him at the time against his colleague Piero Treves, who, like him, belonged to the school of Gaetano De Sanctis. Finally, the last part of the article deals with Momigliano's evaluation of Berve's work on Greek tyranny.