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Ancient Sculpture


Searching the Online Catalog
General: encyclopedias, dictionaries and research guides
Mythology and classical subjects
Useful topographical works
Key Indexes and Databases
E-journals
Web Sites: general
Selected Web Sites: a brief guide to museums
Other Museum Collection Catalogs (Print) to Consult
About Surveys

Searching the Online Catalog

To search the online catalog for books on your subject, use the subject search terms sculpture ancient for the most (broadest) results. Search more narrowly by terms such as sculpture Greek or sculpture Hellenistic for books on those subjects or by figure represented, e.g. Dionysus or object type as well, e.g. portrait sculpture ancient. For known artists, one may also search by name (e.g. Polyclitus or Polykleitos) For subject matter, another possible search is mythology classical in art.

For more results, try keyword searches in addition to subject searches. The following additional print, electronic and Internet resources will be important as well. Some of the most important are starred. If you find a particularly useful book be sure to look for other books or articles by that author, and always consult the bibliographies, especially those in the Grove Dictionary of Art, which are authoritative and up-to-date. Exhibition and collection catalogs will also be important. Some collections are available online. Image databases such as ArtStor may also be consulted.

For additional information consult the resources below. Starred items are particularly important. Bear in mind that Davis Library is the major UNC library for books and journals on the ancient world, and that there are outstanding online resources such as Beazley and Perseus.


General: encyclopedias, dictionaries, and research guides

Classical Studies: a Guide to the Reference Literature. Davis Reference [PA91 .J46 1996 and 2005]

Dictionary of Bibliographic Abbreviations found in the Scholarship of Classical Studies and Related Disciplines. Art Reference and Davis Reference [PA99 .W44 2003]

*Enciclopedia dell'Arte Antica Classica e Orientale. Art Reference and Davis Reference [N31 .E48] Don't be dissuaded by the Italian title! This major multivolume reference book is one you can use even if you do not read Italian; you can benefit from its images and bibliographies. For example, see entries for artists, subjects, types of objects, or topics (e.g. scultura or sculpture.) If you need help translating a word, foreign language dictionaries are available on the Ready Reference shelves.

* Grove Dictionary of Art Online (and print edition in Art Reference) for a useful overview with up-to-date bibliography for many topics. There are image links as well. An outstanding resource for any area in the history of art, especially as the online version is frequently updated.

*Guide to Research in Classical Art and Mythology. Art Reference and SILS [N7760 .V3 1991] This is a good starting point for those with little background in classical studies or art.

Der Kleine Pauly; Lexikon der Antike. Art Reference [DE5 .K5] The Neue Pauly, the most recent edition of this primary encyclopedia of the ancient world is in Davis Reference DE5 .N48 1996.

*Künstlerlexikon der Antike. Art Reference [N5333.K84 2001] A two volume work listing all the known artists of the ancient world. Includes lengthy bibliographies. Also a good source for deciphering abbreviations.

*Looking at Greek and Roman sculpture in stone: a guide to terms, styles, and techniques. Art Reference [NB85 .G76 2003] Useful for its A-Z glossary and bibliography. Abundant cross-references, garment charts, maps, and chronology. Illustrated.

Oxford Classical Dictionary Online and Art Reference [DE5 .O9 1996] This book is useful to identify people, places, literary works, etc. Oxford History of Classical Art. Art Reference and UL [N5610 .O84] Oxford Illustrated History of Greece and the Hellenistic World. Davis [DE59 .O94 1988, DF214 .O94 1991] For background reading.

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Mythology and classical subjects

Athena: Classical Mythology on cd-rom. (Davis Reference) Database of classical myth and literature. Also on Art Reference are copies of standard works on mythology, such as Bulfinch. The Art Library, in addition, has volumes of the Loeb Classical Library.

Cassell Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Davis Reference [BL715 .M373 1998]

Dictionary of Ancient Deities. Art Reference [BL473 .T87 2001]

Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Symbols, Attributes and Associations. Davis Reference and UL [BL715 .B44 1982]

Dictionary of Pictorial Subjects from Classical Literature: a Guide to their Identification in Works of Art. Art Reference and Davis Reference [N7760 .P68 1983]

Gods and Heroes in Art. Art Reference [N7760 .I4713 2003] A good illustrated handbook.

*Gods and Heroes of Classical Antiquity. Art Reference and UL [N7760 .A34 1996] Includes sources for mythological figures, and bibliography, so important resource.

*LIMC: Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae. Art Reference [N7760 .L485] A key resource for researching the subject matter or iconography of ancient art. Multivolume, with plate and text volumes, entries are in a number of foreign languages, depending on the author. Even for those who do not read the language it is essential for its plates and bibliographies.

Literature and the Visual Arts in Ancient Greece and Rome. Davis Library [PA3009 .B44 2000] and also NetLibrary.

Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts. Art Reference [NX650.M9 R45 1993] Covers art from 1300 A.D. and later, but may still be useful for iconographic research.

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Useful Topographical Works

Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Art Reference Atlas shelves and Davis Reference [G1033 .B3 2000]

*Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Art, Davis, UL Reference [DE59 .P7] Also available online on Perseus (see below) Includes art objects, image thumbnails, reference sources, and more.

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Indexes and Databases

Indexes and Databases: Find on Libraries main page, Article Databases and More section

AATA Online (Abstracts of International Conservation Literature) An important resource for conservation information as well as art documentation and cultural heritage issues.

ABZU: A Guide to Information Related to the Study of the Near East

* APh web version of l'Année Philologique, the current major international bibliography for classical studies.

*Art Full Text is a major art database, especially useful for those who do not read foreign languages; also search Academic Search Premier and Academic One File.

*Art Index Retrospective (covers 1929-1984) Citation, not full text.

Arts and Humanities Citation Index

Bibliography of the History of Art Covers from late antiquity (4th c.) to present but should still be searched as it is the most important database for the history of art. Citations and abstracts, not full text.

Dissertations and Theses (Proquest) Dissertations may be identified and then ordered on Interlibrary loan; some are available full-text; others only an abstract or preview.

DYABOLA Complements AnPhilNet but is somewhat challenging to use. Go to www.dyabola.de/manuals/refcard/en/ref_text.htm for a guide to this database. * IBZ (International Bibliography of Periodical Literature) Over 11,000 periodicals indexed by this international database. Particularly strong in the humanities.

NetLibrary Provides full text of academic press publications, some basic reference works, and literary classics.

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E-journals
E-journals: Find on Libraries main page, E-journal Finder section.

Find on Libraries main page, E-Journal Finder, under Art or Classics subjects, or under journal title if known.

Journals such as American Journal of Archaeology, Antiquity, Archaeology, Expedition, and Hesperia are available full-text online at the E-journals section. Full text of many journals will also be found in the large article databases such as Academic Search Premier and Academic One File so be sure to search those as well. JSTOR and Project Muse are also important journals collections online.

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Web Sites
* Beazley Archive Full-text essay by John Boardman, and a catalog of the cast collection at Oxford University. Includes bibliography and dictionary, with "illustrated explanations of names, technical terms, and other vocabulary relating to Greek history, myth, geography, art and architecture. It is constantly being updated and expanded."

Electronic Resources for Classicists: The Second Generation

Forum Antiquum

Hellenic Ministry of Culture An official guide to museums, monuments and archaeological sites. In Greek and English.

Library of Congress Classics Links

Museum of Classical Archaeology at The University of Cambridge Illustrated glossary of myths represented in the Cast Collection. Searchable by keyword in fields for location of original (e.g. Vatican), name of figure (e.g. Niobid), description (e.g. metope), etc.

*Perseus Digital Library Another key Internet project with vast information, both text and image.

Voice of the Shuttle Classics Links

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Selected Web Sites: a brief guide to museums
The British Museum One of the world's great collections of antiquities, including sculpture. COMPASS is their searchable online collections database of about 2000 objects. Entries (see Discobolos, or Tanagra for example) include image, dimensions, provenance, and a short bibliography. For print publications search in UNC online catalog British Museum-catalogs.

Capitoline Museums Includes a searchable collections database, and a very useful bibliography of works about the museum and its collections. Selected images are included in the "Photographic Gallery."

Glyptothek Munchen Includes selected images from its great collection. Related print publications include Katalog der Skulpturen / Glyptothek München NB27.G4 M864 1979

Louvre Another great national museum, most noted for the Nike of Samothrace. A searchable database of exhibited works (ATLAS) is available, with provenance, location and other information. Images with details included, including new acquisitions. Related print publications include Les Sculptures grecques NB87.P37 M877 1992.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Has one of North American's most comprehensive collections of Greek and Roman art. The "collection highlights" portion of the website includes selected objects, with detailed information and images. Related print catalogs include Light on stone : Greek and Roman sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. NB85 .M48 2003

Museum of Fine Arts Boston One of the great American collections of Greek art, the website includes a searchable collections database with detailed information on provenance, subject, etc. Browsable highlights as well. Related print catalogs include Sculpture in stone: the Greek, Roman and Etruscan collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston NB87 .B6 1976

National Archaeological Museum, Athens A few highlights of this great collection, with thumbnails, are included. Related print catalog includes Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Art Reference NB87.A75 K35 2002 The State Hermitage Museum Holds Roman copies of Greek sculpture, as well important collections of Tanagra terracottas, ancient coins, etc. Related print catalogs include Römische Sarkophage in der Ermitage. NB143 .R65 1979

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Other Museum Collection Catalogs (Print)
Fitzwilliam Museum
J. Paul Getty Museum
Mouseio Benaki, Athens
Museo del Prado
Museo Nazionale Romano
Ny Carlsberg Glyptothek
Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin, including Pergamonmuseum
Vatican Museums

Nearby museums with ancient collections:

North Carolina Museum of Art

Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

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About Surveys
*The Pelican History of Art series includes a number of titles on ancient art; consult your instructor for the most useful and preferred surveys. The Propyläen Kunstgeschichte series, although older, includes outstanding black and white plates. Art Reference. [N5340 .S3; N5760 .K7, etc.]

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This page was last updated Friday, March 09, 2007.