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University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Classical Archaeology & Art: Reference Tools

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Brill's New Pauly

Brill´s New Pauly is the English edition of the authoritative Der Neue Pauly, published by Verlag J.B. Metzler since 1996. The encyclopedic coverage and high academic standard of the work, the interdisciplinary and contemporary approach and clear and accessible presentation have made the New Pauly the unrivaled modern reference work for the ancient world. Institutional authentication is required. Useful introductory entries include:

 

The Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art & Architecture

The Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture is the most current and comprehensive reference resource for the visual arts of the Classical period. It features an abundance of in-depth articles on this field of enduring importance—from biographies to thematic entries on architecture, ceramics, metalwork, mosaics, painting and sculpture. Institutional authentication is required.  

 

The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 4th ed.

With over 6,700 entries, this established reference work has been thoroughly updated for this edition to reflect modern scholarship. Written by distinguished scholars from around the world, it covers all aspects of the Classical world from literature and history to religion, science, and archaeology. Institutional login is required. Introductory entries would include:

 

The Oxford Companion to Archaeology, 2nd ed.

In close to 800 entries, the second edition provides thorough coverage of historical archaeology, the development of archaeology as a field of study, and the ways the discipline works to explain the past. In addition to these theoretical entries, other entries describe the major excavations, discoveries, and innovations. Institutional authentication is required.

 

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East

A joint effort between Oxford University Press and the renowned American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), this comprehensive work analyzes the archaeological and linguistic data that pertain to the broad cultural milieu of the ancient Near East. Ranging from prehistoric times up to the early centuries of the rise of Islam, the work covers the civilizations of Syria-Palestine, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Iran, Arabia, Cyprus, Egypt, and the coastal regions of North and East Africa.

Bibliographies

L'Année philologique

L’Année philologique, published by the Société Internationale de Bibliographie Classique, is a specialized bibliographic database of scholarly works relating to all aspects of Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. The online database includes all volumes of the annual index, beginning with Volume I, published in 1928. Institutional authentication is required. 

 

GNOMON

The Gnomon Bibliographic Database contains an open-access index to works on Classical philology, ancient history, and archaeology. The collection also includes book reviews and entries on thousands of German-language dissertations.

 

Oxford Bibliographies in Classics 

Oxford Bibliographies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides across a variety of subject areas. Institutional authentication is required. Especially useful entries in this area include: 

 

ZENON 

ZENON is the bibliographic database of the German Archaeological Institute (or DAI, for Deutsches Archäologisches Institut), which compiles some of the most important bibliographies on archaeology and in Classical studies more broadly. ZENON is open-access and grows daily from the contributions of the DAI departments in Rome, Athens, Istanbul, and the head office in Berlin. It encompasses about 400,000 titles collected since 1956.

 

TOCS-IN

TOCS-IN provides the tables of contents of a selection of Classics, Near Eastern Studies, and Religion journals, both in text format and through a Web search program. Where possible, links are given with articles of which the full text or an abstract is available online (about 15 percent).

Book Reviews

American Journal of Archaeology Book Reviews

The American Journal of Archaeology publishes online-only book reviews in tandem with the respective printed issue and are listed in that issue’s table of contents.  Reviews from 2006 onward are open-access.

 

Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Bryn Mawr Classical Review (BMCR) publishes timely, open-access, peer-reviewed reviews of current scholarly work in the field of Classical studies (including archaeology). This site is the authoritative archive of BMCR's publication, from 1990 to the present.