Library Guides: Ancient World Studies, Archaeology and Classics: Reference sources

Reference sources

Reference sources include encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries and companions. They can help you define concepts and build up your background knowledge of a topic. Entries in reference sources often have substantial reference lists, which you can use to find other resources on your topic. Here are some suggested reference sources to get you started:

Ancient World Studies reference sources

Encyclopedia of Ancient History
The Encyclopedia of Ancient History is one of the most comprehensive collection of twenty-first century scholarship available on the entire ancient Mediterranean world, with over 5,700 original entries published since November 2012.
Brill's New Pauly Online
An extensive encyclopedia that includes material on the ancient world including Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome.
Historical Atlas of the Ancient World
A supplement of Brill's New Pauly Online, the Historical Atlas is a valuable source of maps of the ancient world- Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Egypt and other civilizations.
Chronologies of the Ancient World - Names, Dates, and Dynasties
Another supplement of Brill's New Pauly Online. From the Mesopotamian kings in around 3000 BC to the Bishops and Patriarchs of Late Antiquity, Chronologies of the Ancient World lists all rulers and dynasties that made their mark on ancient history.

Oxford Reference
Oxford Reference is the home of Oxford’s quality reference publishing. The collection provides quality, up-to-date reference content at the click of a button. The University of Melbourne subscribes to selected titles from this large collection of materials.

Archaeology reference sources

The concise Oxford dictionary of archaeology
This dictionary covers the essential vocabulary for everyday archaeological work in the English language, focusing especially on Europe, the Old World, and the Americas
Archaeology
This dictionary comprises entries on people, places, and artefacts relating to archaeological finds throughout the world. The dictionary is an ongoing project, and more entries are continually being added.
Dictionary of artifacts
Entries detail artifact's classification and typology; raw materials; methods and techniques of creation; principles and techniques of examination and identification; and instructions for the care and preservation of specimens.
The Oxford companion to archaeology
The Oxford Companion to Archaeology is an up-to-date reference work on virtually every aspect of this fascinating field. Entries range from the broad overviews, to treatments of particular themes, to discussions of peoples, and societies.

Classics reference sources

The Oxford companion to classical literature
This companion presents facts about the authors, tales and characters from ancient literature and myth and places these details in the wider contexts of the history and society of the Greek and Roman worlds.

Thesaurus Linguae Graecae
The TLG is both a full-text digital library of Greek literature and a research project at the University of California, Irvine. It is a comprehensive, searchable digital collection that includes all extant works of Greek literature from antiquity to the present era.