Why Use Encyclopedias?
Background sources like encyclopedias can provide context for your topic, or even help you choose one. They are great places to start because:
- they explain topics in simpler language than scholarly articles
- they are much shorter (often just a just a page or two, instead of the 20 pages or more found in a scholarly article or the hundreds of pages found in a book)
- they highlight important issues, figures, dates, and/or events that you may want to focus on in your paper or project
- they give you suggested sources for further research in the form of bibliographies or works cited
Online Encyclopedias
The Oxford Classical DictionaryCall Number: E-BookPublication Date: 2012For over sixty years, The Oxford Classical Dictionary has been the unrivalled one-volume reference in the field of classics. Now completely revised and updated to include the very latest research findings, developments, and publications, this highly acclaimed reference work will be the mostup-to-date and comprehensive dictionary available on all aspects of the classical era. In over 6,700 entries written by the very best of classical scholars from around the world, the Dictionary provides coverage of Greek and Roman history, literature, myth, religion, linguistics, philosophy, law,science, art, archaeology, near eastern studies, and late antiquity. New entries supplement the existing material, including entries on topics such as Adrasteia, Latin anthologies, Jewish art, ancient religious beliefs, emotions, film, gender, kinship, and many more.
The Edinburgh Companion to Ancient Greece and Rome by Call Number: E-BookISBN: 9780748627141Publication Date: 2006The Edinburgh Companion, newly available in paperback, is a gateway to the fascinating worlds of ancient Greece and Rome. Wide-ranging in its approach, it demonstrates the multifaceted nature of classical civilisation and enables readers to gain guidance in drawing together the perspectives and methods of different disciplines, from philosophy to history, from poetry to archaeology, from art history to numismatics, and many more.
Handbook for Classical Research by Call Number: E-BookPublication Date: 2010The Handbook for Classical Research offers guidance to students needing to learn more about the different fields and subfields of classical research, and its methods and resources. The book is divided into 7 parts: The Basics, Language, The Traditional Fields, The Physical Remains, The Written Word, The Classics and Related Disciplines, The Classics since Antiquity. Topics covered range from history and literature, lexicography and linguistics, epigraphy and palaeography, to archaeology and numismatics, and the study and reception of the classics. Guidance is given not only to read, for example, an archaeological or papyrological report, but also on how to find such sources when they are relevant to research. Concentrating on "how-to" topics, the Handbook for Classical Research is a much needed resource for both teachers and students.
Print Encyclopedias
Hutchins Library also has a large collection of print encyclopedias that you can access in person in the Reference area on the main floor.
Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy by Call Number: 180.3 E56 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 1997The only encyclopedia in English specific to the field of Classical Philosophy, this work contains over 250 articles on major and minor figures and topics by leading scholars.
Religions of the Ancient World by Call Number: 200.93 R382 2004 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2004Materials from ten different cultures and traditions that arose and developed in Mediterranean religions are presented side by side in an incisive study of the complexities of the ancient spiritual world, which interprets these specific beliefs, rituals, practices, gods, and cults.
Encyclopedia of Women in the Ancient World by Call Number: 305.409 S167e (Location: Reference)ISBN: 9781576070925Publication Date: 2001An extensive and fascinating collection of stories featuring both famous and everyday women, giving a well-rounded view of the lives of women in the ancient world. When did women first become rulers, athletes, soldiers, heroines, and villains? They always were, observes historian Judith Salisbury. From Mesopotamian priestesses and poets to Egyptian queens and consorts, "there was never a time when women did not participate in all aspects of society." Salisbury tells the stories of 150 women from the ancient world, ranging from the very famous, such as Cleopatra VII, immortalized by Hollywood, to the barely remembered, such as the Roman poet Nossis. Writing for a general audience, Salisbury begins by painting each woman into her historical context, then recounts each woman's story, describing the choices she made as she looked for happiness, wealth, power, or well-being for herself and her family--stories much like our own. In entries on general themes--clothing, cosmetics, work, sexuality, prostitution, gynecology--Salisbury analyzes the commonalties in the lives of these women of antiquity from a cross-cultural perspective.
Cassell's Latin Dictionary by Call Number: 473.2 C344 1977 (Location: Reference)ISBN: 9780025225701Publication Date: 1977Includes modern English idioms and current Latin spelling, general classical information, irregular plural forms, and quotations from ancient classical authors.
The Oxford History of Classical Art by Call Number: 709.38 O98 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 1993Lying at the heart of the Western classical tradition, the rich legacy of the arts of ancient Greece and Rome continues to provide inspiration and guidance to artists and art lovers everywhere. Lavishly illustrated and masterfully prepared under the editorship of one of the world's preeminent classicists, The Oxford History of Classical Art offers readers the definitive companion to the artistic and architectural achievements of the Greco-Roman world, from the rise of the Greek city-states to the fall of the Roman Empire.
The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature by Call Number: 880.3 H342o 2011 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2011The third edition of The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature is the complete and authoritative reference guide to the classical world and its literary heritage. It not only presents the reader with all the essential facts about the authors, tales, and characters from ancient myth and literature, but it also places these details in the wider contexts of the history and society of the Greek and Roman worlds.
The Facts on File Companion to Classical Drama by Call Number: 880.09 T487f 2005 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2005One of the most extensive works of its kind, The Facts On File Companion to Classical Drama examines the history and development of ancient Greek and Roman drama from the late sixth century BCE through the first century CE. In a highly readable, A-to-Z format, approximately 400 entries cover the 80 complete plays that survived from the classical era; the major authors; the background, characters, and themes of the dramas; and the conventions and practices of their respective theaters.
Ancient Greek Authors by Call Number: 928.2 D554 v. 176 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 1997Like other volumes in the series, this work discusses the lives and careers of individual authors and summarizes critical responses to their work. This volume features Ancient Greek authors.- Ancient Roman Writers by Call Number: 928.2 D554 v. 211 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 1999Like other volumes in the series, this work discusses the lives and careers of individual authors and summarizes critical responses to their work. This volume features Ancient Roman authors.
Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome by Call Number: 937 A236h 2004 (Location: Reference)ISBN: 0816050260Publication Date: 2004Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome provides full access to 1,200 years of Roman civilization from the eighth century BCE to the fifth century CE. Including information that is often hard to find and even harder to decipher, this volume presents comprehensive coverage of ancient Roman civilization in a way that is interesting to read and easy to understand. Organized thematically, nine chapters provide in-depth analysis of all aspects of Roman life. Coverage includes: The Republic and the Empire Military affairs and the geography of the Roman world Towns and countryside, travel and trade, economy and industry Literature and the arts Religion and everyday life.
Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece by Call Number: 938 A236h 2005 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2005Written by two successful and practicing archaeologists, this title encompasses all aspects of ancient Greek life – from the beginnings of the Minoan civilization in Crete to the final defeat by the Roman world in 30 BCE. The updated edition brings this valuable book completely up to date, including information from the countless books and journals published on the subject since 1995, as well as 30 new images and maps. An important update to the subject, this comprehensive resource covers all aspects of life in this ancient civilization. Coverage includes government, religion, music, art and visual culture, architecture, literature, warfare, commerce, exploration, science, education, and daily life.
The Classical Tradition by Call Number: 938 C614 2010 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2010The legacy of ancient Greece and Rome has been imitated, resisted, misunderstood, and reworked by every culture that followed. In this text, articles by a wide range of scholars investigate the afterlife of this rich heritage in the fields of literature, philosophy, politics, architecture, history, art, religion and science.
The Cambridge Dictionary of Classical Civilization by Call Number: 938.003 C178 2006 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2006The Cambridge Guide to Classical Civilization provides an authoritative survey of the classical world, combining the traditional strengths of classical subjects with new approaches examining the social and cultural features of the ancient Greek and Roman world. Ranging in time from post-Bronze Age Greece to the later Roman Empire, it looks not only at ancient Greece and Rome, but discusses those cultures with which Greeks and Romans exchanged information and culture (e.g. Phoenicians, Celts and Jews) and those remote peoples with whom they were in contact (e.g. Persia, China and India). It paints a vivid new picture of ancient life, exploring material realities such as dress and technology.
Ancient Greece and Rome by Call Number: 938.003 O984 2010 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2009The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome is the clearest and most accessible guide to the world of classical antiquity ever produced. This multivolume reference work is a comprehensive overview of the major cultures of the classical Mediterranean world - Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman - from the Bronze Age to the fifth century CE. It also covers the legacy of the classical world and its interpretation and influence in subsequent centuries. The articles, written by leading scholars in the field, seek to convey the significance of the people, places, and historical events of classical antiquity, together with its intellectual and material culture. Broad overviews of literature, history, archaeology, art, philosophy, science, and religion are complimented by articles on authors and their works, literary genres and periods, historical figures and events, archaeologists and archaeological sites, artists and artistic themes and materials, philosophers and philosophical schools, scientists and scientific areas, gods, heroes, and myths.
