Giuseppe Solaro was born in Bari, Italy, in 1969. He attended the Classical High School "Quinto Orazio Flacco" in Bari and graduated in 1987 with full marks. His formative intellectual environment was closely connected with the humanities and with the scholarly culture of the University of Bari, where he began working with the journal Belfagor while studying Ancient Letters.
Solaro graduated from the University of Bari on 8 July 1991 in Ancient Letters, receiving 110 cum laude. His thesis, supervised by Renata Roncali with Paolo Fedeli as co-supervisor, examined the indirect tradition of Catullus’ Liber. In the summer following graduation he conducted manuscript research at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna, including work on manuscripts associated with the library of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. From November 1991 to October 1994 he held a scholarship in the sixteenth cycle of the PhD program in Greek and Latin Philology at the University of Bari, under the supervision of Luciano Canfora. During this period he carried out research at the Vatican Apostolic Library, the British Library, and the Bodleian Library, where he worked under David Asheri. On 11 December 1995 he obtained his PhD at La Sapienza University of Rome with a dissertation on the humanist biographies of Lucretius. The dissertation was published in expanded form in 2000 as Lucrezio. Biografie umanistiche. He subsequently held postdoctoral and classical-philology research grants at the University of Bari, including research on the modern reception of Lucretius’ De rerum natura. In 2000 he obtained teaching qualifications for Italian and Latin in scientific high schools and for literary subjects, Latin, and Greek in classical high schools.
Solaro’s early professional activity combined research, secondary-school teaching, and military service. After completing military service from 17 May 1995 to 8 May 1996, he taught for short periods in classical and scientific high schools in Bari and its province between 18 May 1996 and 27 March 1999, while continuing his research on classical philology and Lucretian reception. In January 2001 he became an assistant professor of Classical Philology at the University of Bari, serving in that role until October of the same year. In November 2001 he joined the University of Foggia as an associate professor after winning a national competition. He became full professor of Classical Philology in November 2008 and continues to teach in the Department of Humanities. At Foggia he has also taught Romance Philology and Greek History; at the University of Bari he taught History of Philology and Classical Tradition. He held teaching responsibilities in the SSIS Puglia program for Foundations of Classical Philology and History of Greek Institutions and Society, and served on final committees assessing prospective teachers. Solaro has spoken at numerous national and international conferences and has published approximately one hundred scientific papers, including eleven monographs. His research includes papyrology, textual criticism and ecdotics, the history and transmission of classical texts, Latin poetry of the Caesarian age, ancient biography and historiography, classical philosophy, the history of philology and libraries, and the reception of the ancient world. Since 2001 he has participated in PRIN research initiatives as both head of a local research unit and national scientific coordinator, managed local research projects, and evaluated national and European research proposals. He served on the University of Foggia Scientific Commission from 2002 to 2005, coordinated the master’s degree course in Philology, Literatures and History from 24 November 2015 to 1 February 2017, served on the university’s Discipline College from 11 May 2016 to 13 January 2020, and sat on his department’s board from 7 November 2018 to 31 October 2019 and from 5 February 2020 to 31 October 2023. He was an ASN commissioner for Latin Language and Literature in 2018 and chaired a 2022 competition commission for the recruitment of secondary-school teachers in Italian and Latin. He is a member of the doctoral teaching colleges in Humanities and Medical Humanities at the University of Foggia.
Published approximately one hundred scientific papers, including eleven monographs, on classical philology, textual criticism, papyrology, ancient philosophy, the history of texts, and the reception of classical culture.
Served as head of local research units and national scientific coordinator in PRIN research initiatives, as well as scientific manager of local projects and evaluator of national and European research proposals.
Directed the Latin-literature series Lecturae Novae, published by Aracne Editrice, from 2013.
His book Il mistero Democrito was selected as a finalist for the First National Prize for Scientific Dissemination in 2013.
(Contribution by Giuseppe Solaro to Gli antichi e il cosmo...)
2024(A critical edition of Renaissance humanist biographies of...)
2000Dizionario delle scienze e delle tecniche di Grecia e Roma, III. I classici e la nascita della scienza europea
(Edited by Paola Radici Colace and Giuseppe Solaro; publis...)
2023Voltaire, Lettere di Memmio a Cicerone
(Edited by Giuseppe Solaro, with a note by Luciano Canfora...)
1994La Roma di Cornelio Nepote
(Edited by Giuseppe Solaro and published by Aracne.)
2013Gli antichi e il cosmo. Pensiero classico e tradizione cristiana
(Edited by V. Lomiento and Giuseppe Solaro; published by E...)
2024(A study of the ancient and later traditions concerning De...)
2012Socrate e i grandi nuotatori di Delo
(A study of Socrates and classical intellectual traditions...)
2022Solaro has participated in several scholarly and editorial organizations connected with classical studies and the humanities. He has been a member of the International Association for Neo-Latin Studies, the International Society for Classical Tradition, and the Associazione Italiana di Cultura Classica. He has served as a corresponding member of the Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti of Messina in the class of Letters, Philosophy and Fine Arts and is a member of the association Tò Hellenikón. From 2021 to 2024 he served as secretary of the Consulta Universitaria di Filologia Classica. Since 2009 he has edited the humanities web journal Storie di Storie. Since 2013 he has directed the Latin-literature series Lecturae Novae, published by Aracne Editrice. He has served on the scientific committees of Technai, Science and Research, and Analecta Papyrologica, and has regularly reviewed submissions for scholarly journals including Athenaeum, BStudLat, Invigilata lucernis, and Paideia.
Member.
International Association for Neo-Latin Studies , Italy
Member.
International Society for Classical Tradition , Italy
Member.
Associazione Italiana di Cultura Classica , Italy
Corresponding member in the class of Letters, Philosophy and Fine Arts.
Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti di Messina , Italy
Member.
Tò Hellenikón , Italy
Secretary.
Consulta Universitaria di Filologia Classica , Italy
2021 - 2024
Member of the scientific committee.
Technai , Italy
Member of the scientific committee.
Analecta Papyrologica , Italy
Solaro's documented scholarly interests include papyrology, textual criticism, ecdotics, the history of texts, Latin poetry of the Caesarian age, didactic literature, ancient biography and historiography, the history of classical philosophy, the history of philology and classical culture, the history of books and libraries, and the reception of antiquity.
