Starting Research: Classics

Visit the Classics Department at Grinnell College

Databases and Indexes

Tips for finding articles and books and media

Searching in languages other than English

Many databases provide abstracts in English and will also translate titles from the original language into English--this allows you to conduct your search in English even if you are looking for material in another language. However, it is possible to search in the actual language of the material although this is more complicated in languages that require transliteration. If you are looking for a translation in our catalog, search for it using the title in the original language or search using keywords. An example would be a:plato and t:republic.

L'Annee Philologique--This is the primary resource for a comprehensive access to the literature on all aspects of the classical period. Library subscribes to the print version as well as the online version. The print version allows you to easily browse the years work.

 

Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG)-The TLG now contains virtually all Greek texts surviving from the period between Homer (8th century B.C.) and A.D. 600 and the majority of surviving works up the fall of Byzantium in A.D. 1453. The center continues its efforts to include all extant Greek texts from the byzantine and post-byzantine period.

 

Humanities International Complete -Covers journals as well as books and reference sources in the humanities. This database provides good, basic coverage of the literature, history, and philosophy of the classical period.

 

Arts and Humanities Citation Index--good international coverage of the journal literature in the arts. You can also search by "cited author." Ask a librarian for assistance.

 

MLA Bibliography-the premier source for finding the secondary literature on modern literatures, languages, and folklore. (Included in Literature Resource Center). Although classical literature does not fall within the scope of modern literature--it is covered in the MLA Bibliography in as much as it is significant influence.

 

Philosopher's Index

 

Project Muse and JSTOR provides access to the full text of a large number of journals in the social sciences, humanities. You can link to the articles in these two databases by searching Humanities International Complete and Philosopher's Index.

 

Additional Databases

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Library Catalogs

Grinnell College Libraries: books, media, Web sites, databases, art work, and more

 

WorldCat-This is the library catalog of library catalogs. s catalog.Use this to find material at libraries around the world including books in most languages, recordings, visual material, music scores, archival material, newspapers, journals--almost anything except journal articles.

 

Center for Research Libraries: A wide ranging collection of hard to find materials. More information.

 

More library catalogs

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Reference Resources

Library of Congress classification for studying classical Greek and Roman history: DE, DF, DG; for Literature and language: PA

Ancient Greece and Rome: an Encyclopedia for Students

Ref. DE5 .A57 1998 4 volumes

 

Ancient Greek Authors

Ref. PS21 .D5x v.176

Dictionary of Literary Biography v. 176

 

Ancient Roman Writers

Ref. PS21 .D5x v.211 (1999)

Dictionary of Literary Biography v. 211

 

Atlas of the Greek World

Ref. DF77 .L43 1984

 

Atlas of the Roman World

Ref. DG77 .C597 1982

 

Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire

Ref. DG270 .B86 1994

 

Encyclopedia of Women in the Ancient World

Ref. HQ1127 .S25 2001

 

The Genealogy of Greek Mythology: an Illustrated Family Tree of Greek Myth from the First Gods to the Founders of Rome

Ref. BL785 .J36 2003

 

Greek and Latin Authors, 800 B.C.-A.D. 1000: A Biographical Dictionary

Ref. PA31 .G7

 

The Greek and Latin Literatures

Ref. Z7018.T7 E85 1968

 

Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World (in process...)

Ref. DE5 .P33313x 2006 The full version of this is available in German: Der Neue Pauly : Enzyklopädie der Antike. 1st floor DE5 .P333x 1996

 

The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 3rd edition

Ref. DE5 .O9 2003

 

Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide

Ref. BL687 .R47 2004

 

Additional research material in Burling

 

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Web Sites

Diotima: Materials for the Study of Women and Gender in the Ancient World

Perseus Digital Library -Primary and secondary sources for the study of ancient Greece and Rome

Electronic Resources for Classicists: The Second Generation--a mega site for Web resources put together by the same organization that maintains Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (see above).

Greek Grammar on the Web

Library of Congress Resources for Classical and Medieval History

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Style and Citation Guides

Style Guides from the University of California-Berkeley Library including MLA and Chicago/Turabian.
Assembling a List of Works Cited in Your Paper: Duke University Libraries
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Perm Reserve PN147 .G444 1998
RefWorks A web-based service that allows you to import citations, create bibliographies, and more.

 

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Resources at Grinnell

Grinnell Writing Lab
Classics Department

 

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Need Help?

Elizabeth Rodrigues x3674

Consulting Librarian for Classics

Grinnell College Libraries. August 2008

 

Library Labs

Research Tips and Strategies