LibGuides: Classics: Background information

Encyclopedias and dictionaries

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Use this selection of online encyclopedias and dictionaries to find background information, overviews and key resources from articles' bibliographies. Useful for comps.

The Oxford classical dictionary, 4th edition, 2012, edited by Simon Hornblower and Anthony Spawforth.
First choice for new and experienced scholars, this updated edition remains essential as a starting point for research in ancient Greek and Roman cultures, and now reception studies.
The Oxford encyclopedia of ancient Greece and Rome, 2010, edited by Michael Gagarin and Elaine Fantham.
500 essays, covering the ancient world from the Bronze Age to post-Justinian era (600 CE). Index recommended.
The encyclopedia of ancient history, 2012, edited by R. Bagnall et al.

Article updates not included in one-time purchase. Focus on ancient Mediterranean civilizations, from the Bronze Age to the 7th Century CE.

Step 1: See (at right) "More from This Reference Work"

Step 2: Click on "Search in this Book", and search for topics

The encyclopedia of ancient Greek language and linguistics, EAGLL, Brill 2012- .

Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window
Authoritative articles on the current scholarship, with expert recommendations and authoritative commentary on the best works available in the discipline covered, making them particularly useful for anyone beginning research.
These Bibliographies provide an authoritative guide to the current scholarship, expert recommendations and authoritative commentary on the best works available in the discipline covered, making them particularly useful for anyone beginning research.
UT Austin has access to the all bibliographies in all subject areas.
Brill's New Pauly This link opens in a new window
Current. Unlimited.
Comprehensive modern reference work for the ancient world. Entries offer easy, direct access to basic information - names, places, dates, objects — from all areas of Greek and Roman culture as well as their predecessors, neighbors and heirs... [T]he chronological scope of the 'Antiquity' volumes of the NEW PAULY ranges from the 'Aegean Koine' (middle of the 2nd millennium BC) to the formation of early medieval Europe (AD 600 to 800).”

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Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
Includes Cambridge Ancient History, Cambridge Prehistory of the Bronze and Iron Age Mediterranean, Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare, Cambridge History of Egypt, Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought, Cambridge History of Literature: Greek and Latin, and others.
Updated regularly. Provides instant access to the renowned texts of the Cambridge Histories series. All the available volumes are grouped into broad topics for quick and easy browsing (see the list below), or the entire series can be searched using the basic or advanced search features. Specific histories consist of either one volume or a numered series and cover all major regions of the world (i.e. Cambridge History of Africa, Cambridge History of Latin America).
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
100s of Encyclopedias and dictionaries with extensive and brief articles on all different topics.
Updated regularly. A database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources. Fully searchable across all files.

For more information on ebooks see the Ebook Guide
Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Wide ranging collection of background information about authors and literary topics across the centuries. Search the "Subject/Author" and "Subject" box for an individual, then look for reference or biographies articles using the "faceting" (limiting) at left.
Provides users with a broad spectrum of information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and timeframes. Includes plot summaries, literary criticism, author biographies, book reviews, poems, short stories, classic texts, author interviews, and more.

Brill's New Pauly : encyclopaedia of the ancient world : Antiquity
Call Number: PCL Stacks DE 5 N3513 2002 Lib Use Only
ISBN: 9004122591
Publication Date: 2002-2010
English translation of Neue Pauly
Paulys real-encyclopädie der classischen altertumswissenschaft by Pauly, August Friedrich von, 1796-1845 et al
Call Number: Classics Library Ref. DE 5 P33
Publication Date: 1894-
Advanced. Massive, fundamental in dense German. All aspects of classical civilization for its time, including people, places, topics, and Greek and Latin terms.
Lexicon iconographicum mythologiae classicae (LIMC)
Call Number: Classics Lib Ref NX 650 M9 L48 Lib Use Only
ISBN: 3760887511
Publication Date: 1981-2009
Extended articles on the iconography, images of Greek, Etruscan and Roman mythology.