A Beginner's Guide To Resources On The Ancient And Early Medieval World

Basic Encyclopedias

Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece and Rome (Ref DE 59 .C55 1988)

This is an excellent encyclopedia to start with when you want to learn more about the ancient world. The highly readable articles are arranged by topic within broad subject areas (for example, "Greek Forms of Government" and "Slavery" are both in the Government and Society section).

The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization (Ref DE 5 .O94 1998)

This is another excellent encyclopedia to begin with when doing research on the ancient Greek and Roman world. The articles in this one are organized alphabetically, like most of the encyclopedias you have used before.

Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World (Ref DF 16 .S23 1995)
Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire (Ref DG 270 .B86 1994)

The short articles in these two encyclopedias are handy when you want to find basic information quickly about people and events in ancient Greece and Rome.

The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Ref DE 5 .O9 1996)

This is the authoritative scholarly encyclopedia for the field of classical studies. If you want to learn not only what we know about a topic in antiquity, but how we know it, this is the place to look. The articles tell you which ancient (and modern) authors tell us about an event, and exactly where in their writings you will find it. This is extremely helpful when you need to know where to look next for more information.  

Specialized Reference Books

The Cambridge Ancient History (Ref D 57 .C252)
The Cambridge Medieval History (Ref D 117 .C3 1964)

When you need to place things in their historical context, these are excellent books to turn to. They are narrative histories arranged chronologically and geographically. So, find the time and place you are interested in, and expect to read a chapter or two, for these books are arranged like most of the history books you have read before.

The Oxford History of the Classical World (Ref DE 59 .O94 1986)

Organized in a topical arrangement, the articles in this book provide an excellent introduction to ancient history and culture.

Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece (Ref DF 77 .A35 1997)
Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome (Ref DG 77 .A35 1994)

These two books will familiarize you with the details of everyday life in ancient Greece and Rome. Going beyond daily life at home, they also cover social structures, the economy, trade and industry, religion, and military affairs.

Atlas of the Greek and Roman World in Antiquity (Ref G 1033 .A84 1981)
Atlas of the Classical World (Ref DE 29 .H463)
Atlas of Medieval Europe (Ref CB 351 .M293 1983)

The first of these atlases is an extremely thorough traditional atlas; no matter how small or obscure an ancient place may be, you will surely find it in here. The other two go beyond mere location by including many thematic maps as well, which put the geography of the times into context. (For example, a map of the road network in Italy shows that all roads really did lead to Rome!) These last two atlases are beautifully illustrated, too, and serve as excellent introductions to the history and culture of their times.  

Web Sites

Classics and Mediterranean Archaeology http://classics.lsa.umich.edu
Argos: Limited Area Search of the Ancient and Medieval Internet http://argos.evansville.edu
Perseus Project http://www.perseus.tufts.edu

Rather than surfing the Web aimlessly for useful Web sites, use these three sites instead. The first one provides categorized links to over 700 high-quality Internet resources on the ancient world. The second one provides few links directly, but has a powerful search engine that searches for whatever subject you type into it and produces a list of selected Web sites appropriate for academic study of the ancient and medieval worlds. The third one is perhaps the most important single Web site in the field of classical studies. Described as a "digital library of resources," it supplies the text in Greek, Latin, and (often) English translation of the works of over 40 ancient authors. It also provides an encyclopedia, an atlas, and thousands of pictures of art objects, sites, and buildings. If you do research on the ancient world on the Web, and don't check out the Perseus Project, your research will simply be incomplete.  

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