Reference for History

Ancient World

This is a brief guide to material at BC providing reference (dictionaries, encyclopedia, biographies, bibliographies, indices, and more) on historical topics.

What's on This Page

This page has a lot on it. You can use the following anchors (links down the page) to jump straight to a relevant box.

Find Definitions

Oxford Reference Online
This is a quick go-to for high-quality, short, dictionary style descriptions, definitions, facts, and figures. Great for date and name checking.

Individual Titles

The Oxford Classical Dictionary by Esther Eidinow; Simon Hornblower; Antony Spawforth
Call Number: Oxford Reference Premium Collection
Publication Date: 2012
Contains many thematic entries on subjects relevant to the 21st century such as nationalism, race, gender, and ecology. Anthropology and reception have been added as new subject areas, covering topics such as creolization and kinship, as well as dance reception and translation.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World by John Roberts (ed.)
Call Number: Oxford Reference Premium Collection
Publication Date: 2007
The dictionary covers key aspects of ancient Greek and Roman life and literature, such as science, social structure, philosophy, and religion, and contains comprehensive articles on central figures, both real and mythological, from Achilles to Zeno.
The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity by Oliver Nicholson (Editor); Oxford Editorial Staff
Call Number: Oxford Reference Premium Collection
Publication Date: 2018
The first comprehensive, multi-disciplinary reference work covering every aspect of history, culture, religion, and life in Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Near East (including the Persian Empire and Central Asia) between c. AD 250 to 750, the era now generally known as Late Antiquity.

Finding Scholarship

Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window
This tool helps researchers find reliable sources of information selected by experts in the subject. Access bibliographies on more than two dozen topics, including:
- African American Studies
- African Studies
- American Literature
- Anthropology
- Architecture Planning and Preservation
- Art History
- Atlantic History
- Biblical Studies
- British and Irish Literature
- Buddhism
- Childhood Studies
- Chinese Studies
- Cinema and Media Studies
- Classics
- Communication
- Criminology
- Ecology
- Education
- Environmental Science
- Evolutionary Biology
- Geography
- Hinduism
- International Law
- International Relations
- Islamic Studies
- Jewish Studies
- Latin American Studies
- Latino Studies
- Linguistics
- Management
- Medieval Studies
- Military History
- Music
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Renaissance and Reformation
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Urban Studies
- Victorian Literature
Perseus Digital Library This link opens in a new window
This resource includes Greek and Latin primary texts (with English translations), secondary works, and images for studying classical culture and history. Provides access to classical Greek texts in transliterated into the Roman alphabet with nearly each word linked to word study tools including a lexicon. Other materials include secondary sources, images and photographs.

Find Biographical Information (Who's Who)

Who's Who in the Classical World by Simon Hornblower; Tony Spawforth (eds.)
Call Number: Oxford Reference Premium Collection
Publication Date: 2000
Focusing exclusively on real people, this is a dictionary of ancient biography, covering Greek and Roman history and politics, literature, philosophy, science, and art.

Find Background Information

Oxford Reference Online
This is a quick go-to for high-quality, short, dictionary style descriptions, definitions, facts, and figures. Great for date and name checking.

Individual Titles

Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls by Lawrence H. Schiffman; James VanderKam (eds.)
Call Number: Oxford Reference Premium Collection
ISBN: 9780195084504
Publication Date: 2000
Featuring 450 articles by an international community of 100 distinguished scholars, the Encyclopedia is the definitive account of what we know about the scrolls—their history, relevance, meaning, and the controversies that surround them.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt by Donald B. Redford (Editor)
Call Number: Oxford Reference Premium Collection
Publication Date: 2001
Offers the most complete picture available of ancient Egyptian civilization, from the predynastic era to its eclipse in the seventh century CE.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome by Michael Gagarin (Editor)
Call Number: Oxford Reference Premium Collection
Publication Date: 2009
Offers a comprehensive overview of the major cultures of the classical Mediterranean world—Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman—from the Bronze Age to the fifth century CE.

New Pauly This link opens in a new window
Brills New Pauly is the English edition of the authoritative Der Neue Pauly, published by Verlag J.B. Metzler since 1996. The section on Antiquity is devoted to Greco-Roman antiquity and covers more than two thousand years of history, ranging from the second millennium BC to early medieval Europe. The section on the Classical Tradition is concerned with the aftermath of antiquity and the process of continuous reinterpretation of the ancient heritage.

Cambridge Companions Online This link opens in a new window
Cambridge Collections Online offers subject or theme based collections of content. At present, there are two collections comprising the Cambridge Companions in Literature and Classics and the Cambridge Companions in Philosophy, Religion and Culture. Each collection is updated with new Companions on publication and are cross-searchable.

Handbooks and Companions

The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization by Simon Hornblower; Antony Spawforth; Esther Eidinow
Call Number: Oxford Reference Premium Collection
Publication Date: 2014
For over 2,000 years the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome have captivated our collective imagination and provided inspiration for so many aspects of our lives—from culture, literature, drama, cinema, and television to society, education, and politics.
A Companion to Women in the Ancient World by Sharon L. James; Sheila Dillon (eds.)
Call Number: Blackwell reference
Publication Date: 2012
Presents an interdisciplinary, methodologically-based collection of newly-commissioned essays from prominent scholars on the study of women in the ancient world.

For Additional Help

For additional recommendations, contact your History Liaison, Erin, at erinkate.scheopner@bc.edu or schedule an appointment.

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Reference for History

Ancient World

What's on This Page

Find Definitions

Individual Titles

Finding Scholarship

Find Biographical Information (Who's Who)

Find Background Information

Individual Titles

Handbooks and Companions

For Additional Help