Guides: Classical Studies: Get Started

Get Started: Suggested Resources

Encyclopedias and handbooks offer generalist information that may be useful in learning more about a topic or beginning research. The links below offer resources for Classical Studies.

The Oxford Classical Dictionary
Publication Date: 2012 (4th ed.)
Reference work with over 6,700 entries on all aspects of the classical world, with subject areas ranging from politics, government, and the economy to archaeology.
Available as an eBook.

New Pauly (Brill)
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English edition of the authoritative Der Neue Pauly reference work for the ancient world. The Antiquity section is devoted to Greco-Roman antiquity, ranging from the second millennium BC to early medieval Europe. Special emphasis is given to the interaction between Greco-Roman, Semitic, Celtic, Germanic, and Slavonic cultures, and ancient Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Reference Works

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome by Michael Gagarin (Editor)
Call Number: DE5 O95 2010
Publication Date: 2009
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome is the clearest and most accessible guide to the world of classical antiquity ever produced. Available as eBook or physically in the reference collection (in-library use only).

Cambridge Histories
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Look for the collection "Cambridge Histories - Ancient History & Classical Studies" to find more than 40 reference books published by Cambridge University Press.

The Cambridge History of Greek Literature by P. E. Easterling (Editor); Bernard M. W. Knox (Editor); W. V. Clausen (Contribution by); E. J. Kenney (Contribution by)
An excellent place to begin exploring Greek literature, including poetry, drama, philosophy, history and oratory, and the literature of the Hellenistic period and of the Empire.
The Cambridge History of Latin Literature by E. J. Kenney (Editor); W. V. Clausen (Editor)
An excellent place to begin studying Latin literature, including poetry, prose, drama, readership, and more.

Blackwell Reference Online (Wiley Online Library)
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A collection of reference works from Wiley-Blackwell, with good coverage of Classics topics.
Oxford Reference
A collection of reference works published by Oxford University Press.

The Homer Encyclopedia by Margalit Finkelberg
Publication Date: 2011
Represents the first comprehensive reference work encompassing the world and artistry of Homer. eBook.
Roman Republican Coinage by Michael H. Crawford
Call Number: CJ909 C7
Publication Date: 1975
Most comprehensive (if dated) guide to individual coin types of the Roman Republic.

Maps and Topography

Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World by Richard J. A. Talbert (Editor)
Call Number: folio G1033
Publication Date: 2000
In 99 full-color maps spread over 175 pages, the Barrington Atlas recreates the entire world of the Greeks and Romans from the British Isles to the Indian subcontinent and deep into North Africa.
In-library use only (Reference Collection).

Also available at the Joseph C. McLelland Library (call no. DE5 B3 2000)
Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae by Eva Margareta Steinby (Editor)
Call Number: folio DG63 L49 1993
6 volume reference work on the topography of ancient Rome.

Excavations at Pompeii
Archaeological website about Pompeii with maps and photos that provides an overall view of the effects and aftermath of the Vesuvian eruption (79 C.E.).
Ostia and Portus
Maps, plans, and bird's eye views (both past and present) of Ostia and Portus.

Websites

Attalus
Provides the chronology of the Roman Republic year by year to allow you to see what events occurred when; includes some links to (often untranslated) sources.
Electronic Resources for Classicists
Large list of Classics resources and websites including projects, electronic journals, images, and archives maintained by Prof. Maria Pantella (UC Irvine).
Internet Classics Archive
Website containing 400+ works of Greek and Roman literature in English translation, maintained by MIT.