Classical Studies : Art & Architecture :
a guide to Library Resources

Contents:

STARTING POINTS

The following are starting points for dictionaries/encyclopedias/introductory texts for Classical Art & Architecture:

Dictionary of art (34 volumes, 1996) [print]
[Covers all forms of visual art from prehistory onwards]

Classical architecture : a complete handbook (1990) [print]
[Covers the history of classical architecture from its ancient origins to the present day]

Dent dictionary of symbols in Christian art (1994) [print]
[Covers both the Eastern & Western churches]

Illustrated dictionary of symbols in eastern and western art /(1994) [print]
[Explains & interprets symbols from many cultures including the Graeco-Roman world]

Lexicon iconographicum mythologiae classicae (LIMC). (8 volumes,1981-1997) [print]
[An alphabetically arranged encyclopedia of art representing individual figures in classical mythology]

Lexicon topographicum urbis Romae (6 volumes, 1993-2000) [print]
[Provides an account of public and private buildings and monuments for the city of Rome up to the 7th century AD]

New topographical dictionary of ancient Rome (1992) [print]
[Covers the period to the 6th century AD]

Pictorial dictionary of ancient Athens (1971) [print]
[Topographical dictionary of Athens which includes monuments, temples, sanctuaries]

Pictorial dictionary of ancient Rome (2 volumes, 1968) [print]
[Topographical dictionary of the monuments of Rome]

Roman art (2004) [print]
[Reviews the state of Roman art in scholarship. Part of the series Greece & Rome: New surveys in the Classics]

Roman historical portraits (1978) [print]
[Survey of portraits of historical characters]

Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome (1929) [print and web access]
[Whilst this work is somewhat dated & superceded by A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome (see above), it nevertheless still contains much useful information & is freely available via the web]

Understanding Greek vases (2002) [print]
[A guide to terms, styles and techniques in Greek ceramics]

Researchers should note the following resources:

Amphoras Project [web access]
[Information on ceramic storage containers used to carry wine, oil, fish, and other commodities around the ancient Mediterranean]

Beazley Archive: Greek Painted Pottery [web access]
[Database of more than 67,000 Athenian vases with over 27,000 images]

Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum [print & limited web access]
[Comprehensive catalogue of ancient Greek vases]

FINDING BOOKS USING THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE

Books on Classical Art & Architecture can be found by searching the library catalogue. The following are terms which can be browsed using the Subject Heading option

Architecture, Classical
Architecture, Greek
Architecture, Roman
Art, Ancient
Art, Classical
Art, Etruscan
Art, Greek
Art, Mycenaean
Art, Roman
Painting, Greek
Painting, Roman
Portrait sculpture, Classical
Portrait sculpture, Greek
Portrait sculpture, Roman
Pottery, Greek
Pottery, Mycenaean
Pottery, Roman
Relief (Sculpture), Greek
Relief (Sculpture), Roman
Sculpture, Classical
Sculpture, Greek
Sculpture, Roman
Vase-painting, Greek
Vases, Ancient Catalogs
Vases, Greek
Vases, Greek Catalogs
Vases, Roman Catalogs

Or construct your own keyword searches. Here are some examples:

"elgin marbles"
"art byzantine" and icon?
vases and ("black-figured" or "red-figured")

Click here if you need help with constructing searches using techniques such as truncation and Boolean operators

FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES USING DATABASES & BIBLIOGRAPHIES

For most topics the databases listed in the Databases for Classics guide should be sufficient, but those researchers needing to undertake a more comprehensive literature search should note the following additional sources:

L'Annee philologique [print]
[The premier index for Classics - if it's unfamiliar, read this description before attempting to use it. See especially Section IV.A : Archeologie; Section V.G.b: Histoire de l'Art; Section VII.F: Technologie in each annual printed volume]

Art Abstracts [electronic]
[Coverage from 1984. Coverage prior to then is via the print copy of Art Index in the Reference Collection]

Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals (AVE) [electronic]
[Comprehensive coverage from the 1930s & selective coverage dating back to the 1860s. Limited coverage of classical architecture]

Bibliographies for the study of Medieval Art [web access]
[Four individual bibliographies - Early Christian Art (c.250-c.500); Early Medieval Art (c.500-c.1000); Later Medieval Art (c.1000-c.1500); Byzantine Art and Architecture]

Bibliography on temples of the ancient Near East & Mediterranean world (1991) [print]
[A bibliography of works that reviews archaeological & literary evidence that bear on the layout, design & physical accoutrements of the temples of Israel, Egypt, Mesopotamia & the Greco-Roman world]

PRIMARY SOURCES

The following searches of the library catalogue will identify translated primary source material:

Art Greek Sources
Art Roman History Sources
Art Byzantine History Sources

WEB RESOURCES

Some starting points for exploring resources on the Web

Art History Resources on the Web
[Maintained by Chris Witcombe, Professor of Art History,Sweet Briar College, Virginia]

ArtServe
[Art & Architecture mainly from the Mediterranean Basin]

Forum Antiquorum
[Set up to provide access to Web resources related to the study of the ancient Mediterranean world. Of particular interest are Aegean Art and Archaeology, Greek Art and Archaeology and Roman Art and Archaeology]

This page is maintained by Jennifer Osborn

Last update: 22 June 2007