Start here: Encyclopedias and Handbooks
- Encyclopedia of world cultures (e-book) byPublication Date: 1991-1996This reference set lists and describes more than 1,500 global cultures. Based on research of social scientists, it is the source for historical, social, political, economic, linguistic, religious, and other information on virtually every existing culture. Contains a helpful ethnonym index. Available online and in print from UIUC library.
- Encyclopedia of world cultures, supplement (e-book) byPublication Date: 2002This volume, with one hundred new articles, supplements the 10 volume Encyclopedia of World Cultures. It includes cultures which were left out of the original set, which experienced major socio-political developments since the first volume was published, or expand upon entries for some cultures which had very short entries in the original volumes.
Encyclopedia of Prehistory by Call Number: 960.103 En19ISBN: 0306462559Publication Date: 2001-02-28This set, prepared in conjunction with Human Relation Area Files (HRAF), includes basic information on all archaeologically known cultures.The eight volumes cover different regions of the world (e.g., Africa or Oceania). Entries provide an overview of major archaeological traditions highlighting subsistence practices, sociopolitical organization, and material industries.
A Companion to Gender Prehistory (e-book) by ISBN: 9781118294277Publication Date: 2012-09-25Contains chapters focusing on archaeological evidence of gender roles in various world regions. Each chapter describes gender and prehistory in a specific region, covering a broad span of time and variety of cultures in those regions, but also cites sources which can be used for more information on a specific type of artifact or certain time period/cultural tradition.
Reference books, like encyclopedias and handbooks, are great sources of background information about cultures and time periods. They summarize information found in scholarly sources, and you can cite them directly, but also check out their mini-bibliographies for each entry- some of the sources they cite may be more specific and very helpful for your research topic, and you can search for them in the library catalog.
Here are a few encyclopedia and handbook sources that may be helpful for this assignment! Can't find what you need? Try searching the two resources below: