Use this guide to get started with your research for CLCV 2902A : History of Ancient Greece I.
Learning Outcomes:
- Students will find information from appropriate resources for their assignments.
- Students properly cite appropriate document sources (for example primarily and secondary materials)
- Students evaluate information sources for relevance, authority, currency and perspective using the CRAP guidelines.
We [I] would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg people.
Research Tips
* NEW * Videos and resources produced by Ryan Tucci, First Year Experience Teaching and Learning Technician at MacOdrum Library.
1. Search for reference sources on your topic. This will save you some time as these books contain brief overviews on specific topics. Here are a few selected bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks and guides to read.
Bibliographies
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
- Oxford Classical Dictionary (2012)
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome / Michael Gagarin ; Elaine Fantham (2010)
- Who's Who in the Classical World / Simon Hornblower ; Antony Spawforth) (2000-) (print) (Online)
Companions, Guides and Handbooks
- The Cambridge Ancient History (1970-) SER D57.C252
- A Companion to Greek and Roman Historiography / John Marincola (2010) [earlier editions available]
- A Companion to Ancient History / Andrew Erskine (2009) D57.C66 2009
- A Companion to Late Antique Literature / Edward J. Watts ; Scott McGill (2018)
- The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World / J. B. Campbell ; Lawrence A. Tritle (2013) U29.O93 2013
Biographies
- Who Was Who in the Greek World, 776 BC - 30 BC / Diana Bowder (1982) (print) (Limited search only) at HathiTrust)
Finding Books, eBooks, Films, Maps and more
2. Use the library discovery layer, Omni to find additional material, such as books, eBooks, Films, Maps, etc. If you need to access a physical book, you must go to Floor 5 in McOdrum Library. To find the general Library of Congress Classification number for Greek History, check this page.
See also:
Specific Library of Congress Classification Number:
LCCN | Subclasses |
DF 10-289 | Ancient Greece: History |
DF 220-241 | Ancient Greece: History by Period |
DF 220-221 | Bronze Age, Minoan and Mycenaean Ages |
DF 221.2-224 | ca. 1125-500 B.C. Age of Tyrants |
DF 225-226 | Persian wars, 499-479 B.C. |
DF 227-228 | Athenian supremacy. Age of Pericles, 479-431 B.C. |
DF 229-230 | Peloponnesian War, 431-404 B.C/ |
DF 230.9-231.9 | Spartan and Theban supremacies, 404-362 B.C. |
DF 232.5-233.8 | Macedonian epoch. Age of Philip. 359-336 B.C. |
DF 234.234.9 | Alexander the Great, 336-323 B.C |
DF 251-289 | Ancient Greece: Local history and description |
G 1033 | Atlases of the Ancient World |
Here are some tips for searching Omni:
- Use keywords only, do not search using a full sentence
- Use quotation marks when searching a phrase
Example: "peloponnesian war" - Combine keywords for different ideas with AND
Example: society AND culture - Combine synonyms or similar words for an idea with OR
Esample: (war OR combat OR battle OR fight) - Use the * at the end of the root of a word to find all the forms of that word
Example: slave* (other variation includes: slaves, slavery, etc.)
Note: Be sure to check Omni Search Tips for other helpful tips.
eBooks
eBooks can be found in Omni by author, title, subject and keyword searching.
Do a search and then limit your search to retrieve only eBooks by using the drop down menu.
Other Catalogues:
- Worldcat
A union catalogue of libraries worldwide.
WorldCat.org lets you search the collections of libraries in your community and thousands more around the world. - Google Books
- Google's searchable and browsable book, magazine and ebook locator.
Only some books are available for full text access. - HathiTrust Digital Library
HathiTrust is a digital repository of millions of books, serials, and other materials from research institutions and libraries from around the world.
Sample film titles from Films on Demand
- Athens Transforms (4:12m)
- Euripides' Life and Times: The Trojan Women (37:48m)
- Greece: Engineering an Empire (43:50m)
- Greek Comedy and Aristophanes (5:50m)
- Greek Drama: From Ritual to Theater (1:02:01m)
- The Greek Beginning (51:50m)
- Wars and Conquests (3:14m)
Maps
Visit the sites below to see map resources and geospatial data:
- Ancient World Mapping Center (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
- Antiquity À-la-carte
- Free Maps of the ancient world
- The History of Cartography / J.B. Harley ; David Woodward (1987-1998) (print) (Online).
- Mapping History: European History (University of Oregon)
Thematic maps covering the Ancient World - Maps, GIS Data, and Archaeological Data for Corinth and Greece
A collection of modern and historical maps, GIS data and resource links for archaeologists, novice cartographers and experienced GIS users. - Pleiades
Pleiades is a community-built gazetteer and graph of ancient places. - POLIS (Stanford University)
“This site allows scholars and students of classical Greek (and to some extent Roman) history to visualize data about Places (especially archaic and classical Greek city-states) and People (those famous enough to be included in a standard Classical dictionary) from two large data-sets, and to generate maps and simple statistical information from them.” - The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites (Perseus Digital Library)
- Roundup of Resources on Ancient Geography (AWOL – The Ancient World Online)
Links to digital projects dealing with ancient geography. “It has no pretensions of being complete or comprehensive, but is offered to give readers a sense of the range of materials currently accessible.” - David Rumsey Historical Digital Map Collection
Search Tip: For additional information sources not listed here, see the Archaeology Subject Guide, Finding Maps, and Other Media (Images & Films) section.
Recommended Databases
- Année Philologique
An index of books and articles on all aspects of classical antiquity. - Oxford Bibliographies Online
Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO) is a tool for the social sciences and humanities. It is composed of discipline-based subject modules that provide annotated bibliographies on specific topics. Loeb Classical Library
An interconnected and fully searchable database of important works in Greek and Latin literature.The Library is comprised of more than 520 volumes of Latin, Greek, and English texts, including epic and lyric poetry; tragedy and comedy; texts devoted to history, travel, philosophy, and oratory; and the writings of great medical writers and mathematicians.
Also consult multidisciplinary databases such as:
Academic Journals vs. Popular Magazines - do you know the difference? Check in Ulrichsweb to be sure!
Why use journals?
- They are more up-to-date than most books.
- They are “peer reviewed” by other scholars in the field who check for academic integrity.
- They are concise and focused on a specific aspect of a topic.
- Every article will contain cited references that appear as footnotes and/or bibliographies.
- Most are now in online and accessible anytime and from off campus.
For best results do a search using keywords or phrases in a subject database to find references to scholarly articles.
When a database gives you an option, always limit to scholarly (or academic or peer reviewed) journals.
What is an Annotated Bibliography?
An annotated bibliography is an alphabetic list of research resources that includes an annotation (a description and/or brief critique) for each item. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the substance, relevance and quality of each source. Annotations appear after each item in the bibliography.
Annotations do not affect the citation style. Therefore, use APA, MLA, Chicago, or another citation style of your choice in the same way you would when preparing a normal bibliography.
What should each annotation include?
An annotation is a paragraph which may contain the following points:
- information about the author, his/her qualifications
- main arguments and purpose of the work
- intended audience and level of difficulty
- the work's main recommendations or conclusions
- your critique/assessment of the work (describing biases, integrity, and usefulness of the work for your essay)
- your instructor may also request that specific information be included/excluded, so check with him/her or your TA if you are unsure
Useful Web Guides
- Writing an Annotated Bibliography (University of Toronto)
- How to Write an Annotated Bibliography (Simon Fraser University)
- How to Write Annotated Bibliographies (Memorial University)
- Annotated Bibliography Samples : Overview (Purdue University)
Writing
- Fit to Print : the Canadian Student's Guide to Essay Writing / Joanne Buckley (2013) [earlier edition available]
- Making Sense : A Student's Guide to Research and Writing / Margot Northey; Joan McKibbin (2007) LB2369.N67 2006 [2004 - (print) ; Online at Internet Archive]
- Writing Essays a Guide for Students in English and the Humanities / Turley, Richard Marggraf (2016)
- Essay Writing (Purdue University) explains the genres of essay writing - Exposition, Description, Narration, Argumentation.
- Writing Services (Centre for Student Academic Support)
Citation Help
Check the course outline for instructions on how to reference your sources. Do not hesitate to contact me or Citation Help for additional help with citing sources.
See below for a few links to help with formatting your research paper:
- Citing Your Sources - General guide pointing to resources on all the main styles.
- Chicago Style tutorial (5:04m) (Youtube)
- Chicago Style Guide - 17th edition - Purdue Online Writing Lab
- MLA Formatting and Style Guide (Purdue OWL)
- Concordia University MLA Guide
- Help with Citation Abbreviations (The Library of Antiquity)