The Monster Compilation of Free Online Resources for Ancient Mediterranean Studies - Update
There are three parts: This is Part I.
Ancient Mediterranean studies, also known as Classics and Classical studies, is the interdisciplinary study of the ancient Mediterranean world, including archaeology, language, literature, culture, history, philosophy, religion, and archaeology.
A tremendous amount of scholarly information is available online without a paywall, including archaeology, art, atlases, biography, culture, epigraphy, history, languages, law, literature, magic, medicine, music, mythology, organizations and associations, papyrology, philosophy, poetry, popular culture, religion, and sports. While all of the sites listed offer open access material, a few do require payment for full access.
This update is double the size of the previous version (which is why it’s split into three parts). Hopefully the change from alphabetical order to breakdown by topics will be seen as an improvement.
Please feel free to advise me of any wonky links, to suggest additions or improvements.
I hope you will let me know if you find this compilation enjoyable or useful.
Muse reading a volumen (scroll), at the left an open chest. Attic red-figure lekythos, circs. 435-425 BCE. From Boeotia. Collection of the Louvre Museum, Paris. Photo by Jastrow (2006) via WIkimedia Commons (here)
Art, Architecture, and Images
Blogs and other sites of interest in the Classics
The metasites on this list contain many links, and their contents may overlap somewhat with this compilation - and with each other. They’re worth sifting through, though, for unique focus and unexpected gems.
AWOL: The Ancient World Online - Notice and comment on open access material relating to the ancient world.
Bryn Mawr Classical Review (BMCR) - timely open-access, peer-reviewed reviews of current scholarly work in the field of classical studies, including archaeology.
Catalog - OpenEdition Books - more than 7,000 free ebooks in academic subjects including the Arts and Humanities, Archaeology, and History.
The Classics Pages - well over 1000 pages of news, information, games and controversy about the life, literature, philosophy, art and archaeology of the ancient world of Greece & Rome.
Classics Resources - a list posted at WordPress.
Digital Classicist Wiki - events, bibliographies, publications (print and electronic).
Electronic Resources for Classicists - The Second Generation Developed and maintained by Maria Pantelia, University of California, Irvine.
KIRKE - Catalog of Internet Resources for Classical Philology This is a German language site
Perseus Digital Library - a digital infrastructure for the humanities in general and classics in particular.
Pomeorium - classics links, databases, and antiquarian and used specialist books.
The Stoa Consortium - news and announcements for classicists.
UC Press E-Books Collection, 1982-2004 - almost 2,000 free books from academic presses on a range of topics, including art, science, history, music, religion, and fiction.
Most classics-related journals available online can be found on the following sites:
Classics Resources in Internet
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals
Hacking Education: Download Research Papers and Scientific Articles for free
Journals in Classics that have a substantial on-line presence
JSTOR - digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.
TOCS-IN (Tables of Contents of Journals of Interest to Classicists) - searchable tables of contents of a selection of Classics, Near Eastern Studies, and Religion journals.
The AJA Learning Resources - an accessible starting point for those interested in a career in archaeology as well as a place to browse archaeological projects, databases, and image and bibliographic resources.
Archaeopress Access Archaeology - monographs, conference proceedings, catalogues of archaeological material, excavation reports, doctoral theses and more.
The Archaeological Atlas of Antiquity
Archaeological Atlas of Coptic Literature by PAThs
Archaeology Expert -profiles of famous archaeologists, the basics of excavation with a glossary of terms, a variety of specializations within archaeology, key articles on important finds and artifacts, and information on how and where to find work on an archaeological dig.
Archaeology in the Community - a nonprofit organization that works to increase community awareness of the benefits of archaeology and history through public events, provide archaeology enrichment programs to students of all ages, and provides a professional development to college students interested in pursuing careers in archaeology.
The Archaeology Podcast Network - an educational resource with at least 18 shows, over 20 volunteer expert hosts, and an amazing back catalogue of content.
Breaking Ground: Women in Old World Archaeology - searchable database of pioneering women archaeologists.
Digital Archaeological Record
Digital Atlas of Ancient Egypt - a digital cultural map of archaeological sites in Egypt (ranging from the Predynastic to the Roman period.
Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology (OREA) - a permanent institute at the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
SEAD, the Strategic Environmental Archaeology Database - past climates, environments and human impacts for environmental archaeology and Quaternary palaeoecology.
The Theban Mapping Project - comprehensive archaeological database of Thebes.
Troy - a collaboration between the University of Cincinnati’s Center for the Electronic Reconstruction of Historical and Archaeological Sites and the Troia Projekt of the University of Tübingen, Germany.
The Levantine Ceramics Project (LCP)
Pompeii in Pictures - A complete photographic plan of ancient Pompeii as it is today.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme website - online database of archaeological finds made by members of the public in Wales and England. Also, a guide to coins and Bronze Age objects.
Security recommendations for historically important archaeological sites from ASIS International.
Survey Archaeology - open knowledge base and communication platform for education and research regarding archaeological field-survey in the Mediterranean with information on projects, researchers, theory, methods and practice of survey archaeology and related areas, such as computer applications in archaeology. Home of the ArchaeoSurveyor project.
Trowelblazers - a celebration of women archaeologists, paleontologists and geologists.
Virtual Tours of Archaeological Museums
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield - a charitable, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the protection of cultural property worldwide during armed conflict.
The World Wide Web Library of African Archaeology - news, maps, bibliographies, and more.
Art, Architecture, and Images
A Day on the Acropolis in search of the goddess Athena
AEGARON - Ancient Egyptian Architecture Online - provides vetted and standardized architectural drawings of a selection of ancient Egyptian buildings.
AIEMA (International Association for the Study of Ancient Mosaics)
Antinous - Virtual Museum of portrait sculpture from throughout the world.
Art History Resources on the Web
Art Images for College Teaching
ASPROM (The Association for the Study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics) - ancient mosaics, and especially the Roman mosaics of Britain.
The Beazley Archive - the world’s largest collection of images of ancient figure-decorated pottery.
Body Language: How to Talk to Students about Nudity in Art
The Census of Antique Works of Art and Architecture Known in the Renaissance - a database registering antique monuments known in the Renaissance together with the related Renaissance documents in form of texts and image, including the antique monuments known to Johann Joachim Winckelmann and his contemporaries (Corpus Winckelmann) as well as the reception and adaption of antique art of the Middle Ages (Corpus Medii Aevi)
The Cesnola Collection of Cypriot Art: Stone Sculpture | MetPublications | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Classical Art Research Centre - Oxford University. Includes the Beazely Archive of ancient Greek painted pottery, Pottery database, Gem research, and Terracottas.
Colors of Classical Art - artworks from the perspective of color, an aspect of ancient art that is often under-represented in art historical literature.
Coptic Textiles from Ancient Egypt
The Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani (CSIR) - sculptural heritage of the Roman Empire.
Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum - a series of high-quality catalogs of mostly ancient Greek painted pottery in collections around the world.
Digital Hadrian’s Villa Project - art database
The False Door - an e-book about Roman wall painting
Fayum Mummy Portraits - database from the University of Manchester/ Manchester Museum
Find Images - Selected Online Museum Collections: These museums have been selected for the quality and scope of their online collections.
Getty Publications Virtual Library - Free digital backlist titles from the Getty Publications Archives
The Global Egyptian Museum
Greek Vase Shapes Teaching Poster - presented by the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska.
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
The Image of the Black in Western Art
Introduction to Roman Architecture - video from Open Yale Courses
Last Statues of Antiquity Database
Media Center for Art History - Columbia University
MetPublications | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Minoan Epiphany - Introduction Xeste 3 fresco
Panoply Vase Animation Project
Pigments Through the Ages
Real ? Virtual: Representing Architecture in Time and Space Panoramic history of architecture from Columbia University
The Online Database of Ancient Art
Visualizing Statues in the Late Antique Roman Forum
World Myths and Legends in Art - presented by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The following list contains associations and classics-related journals with online sources not mentioned in the links above.
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (ACUA) - an international advisory body working to educate scholars, governments, sport divers, and the general public about underwater archaeology and the preservation of underwater resources.
The American Classical League - access to the latest grant information, comprehensive teaching materials, and job placement resources for Classics teachers and teachers of classical studies and Greek and Latin languages in the classroom.
The Archaeological Society at Athens
ASOR: The American Schools of Oriental Research - supports and encourages the study of the cultures and history of the Near East, from the earliest times to the present.
Association of Ancient Historians - Ancient History professionals in the United States and Canada.
Association for the Study of Women & Mythology
Athens Institute for Education & Research
Australasian Classical Receptions Studies Network
The Australasian Society for Classical Studies
Center for Studies in Oral Tradition
The Classical Association of Canada
The Classical Association of New England - many activities and resources, including the annual meeting in March, scholarships, discretionary grants, CANE’s own press, and New England Classical Journal (NECJ).
Classical Association of the Empire State
The Classical Association of the Middle West and South - Classical Resources on the Internet.
Comparative Mythology - published by the International Association for Comparative Mythology
The European Association for Archaeologists - for archaeologists and other related or interested individuals or bodies in Europe and beyond!
The Historical Association - furthering the study and teaching and enjoyment of history in all guises and forms: professional, public and popular.
International Society for Studies in Oral Tradition
Journal of Ancient History - covers all aspects of ancient history and culture from the Archaic Period to Late Antiquity (roughly the ninth century BCE through the eighth century CE). A few free articles are available online.
Kosmos Society - an online community for Classical Studies
MOISA: The International Society for the Study of Greek and Roman Music and its Cultural Heritage
Postclassicisms - a global research network dedicated to redefining the study of classical antiquity
The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies - founded in 1910 to advance the understanding of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire. Publishes The Journal of Roman Studies.
The Society for Classical Studies - founded as the American Philological Association in 1869 for the study of ancient Greek and Roman languages, literatures, and civilizations. Offers teaching resources for K-12 and higher education.
Society for Early Modern Classical Reception
Society of Black Archaeologists - advocates to ensure the proper treatment of African and African diaspora material culture, raises and address concerns related to African peoples worldwide, and highlights the past and present achievements and contributions people of African descent have made to the field of archaeology.
The Sussex Egyptology Society (SES) - Egyptology-related news, lectures, and links.
Ancient World Open Bibliographies - Notice and comment on open access material relating to the ancient world. Lots of bibliographies and a companion blog
Annotated Bibliography of Women in Classical Mythology
Cognitive Classics bibliography
Online Egyptological Bibliography (OEB) - an online collection of references in Egyptological literature, including records and abstracts from Annual Egyptological Bibliography, combined with Bibliographie Altägypten.
Nestor - an international bibliography of Aegean studies, Homeric society, Indo-European linguistics, and related fields.
ORB Online Encyclopedia - Online Bibliographies for Late Antiquity
Projekt Dyabola - Bibliographies on the subjects of Classical Archaeology, Etruscology, Minoan Archaeology and Prehistory. Other databases include museum collections. WordPress Blog, Twitter
Scholarly Bibliographies Available Online: Classical Antiquity
Blogs and Other Sites of Interest in the Classics
Atlantides: Feed Aggregators for Ancient Studies
Classics and Social Justice
Classics At the Intersections
Classics for All - UK-based charity offers grants to support the study of Latin, Ancient History, Classical Civilization and Ancient Greek in state schools. Book reviews and Classics blog.
Classics Confidential – Podcasting Classicists, Sharing Research
Classical Studies Support
Database of Classical Scholars
Eidolon - an online journal for scholarly writing about Classics that isn’t formal scholarship.
History From Below – Musings on Daily Life in the Ancient and Early Medieval Mediterranean
Institute of Classical Studies Blog
ORIGINS Current Events in Historical Perspective Published by the History Departments at The Ohio State University and Miami University
rogueclassicism – quidquid bene dictum est ab ullo, meum est
Sententiae Antiquae - a Classics blog
The Sportula - microgrants for Classics students. Also twitter.com/libertinopatren
University of Michigan Press - open access books in Classical Studies
Women of Ancient History - a crowdsourced list of female ancient historians
ancientscripts.com a compendium of world-wide writing systems from prehistory to today.
Associations in the Greco-Roman World - an expanding collections of inscriptions, papyri, and other sources in translation.
The American Society of Greek and Latin Epigraphy (ASGLE)- a non-profit organization whose purpose is to further research in, and the teaching of, Greek and Latin epigraphy in North America. Includes online resources, abbreviations, and bookshelf.ancientscripts.com a compendium of world-wide writing systems from prehistory to today.
Ancient Egyptian scripts (hieroglyphs, hieratic and demotic)
Attic Inscriptions Online (AIO) - inscriptions of ancient Athens and Attica in English translation.
CLAROS - Concordance of Greek inscriptions
Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) - a collection of squeezes, photographs and bibliographical references, sorted by inscription-number.
Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative
Dartmouth Ancient Books Lab – Historical Background and “How-To” Projects in Paleography, Papyrology, and Codicology
The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls
The Duke Papyrus Archive - electronic access to texts about and images of nearly 1400 papyri from ancient Egypt.
EDCS Epigraphik Datenbank Clauss - Slaby
Epigraphic Database Heidelberg (EDH) - Latin and bilingual inscriptions from the provinces of the Roman Empire contains about 74.300 inscriptions at present.
Epigraphic Database Roma (EDR) - Greek and Latin inscriptions up to the 7th century A.D.
Epigraphical database of Greek inscriptions - from the Packard Humanities Institute
Epigraphical database of Latin inscriptions - Manfred Clauss / Anne Kolb / Wolfgang A. Slaby
The Europeana Network of Ancient Greek and Latin Epigraphy (EAGLE)
Gnomon Bibliographic Database - a searchable database of Latin inscriptions.
Greek and Latin Inscriptions - a collection of digitized squeezes (accurate paper impressions) of inscriptions from Greece, Italy, and Macedonia
Hispania Epigraphica - Roman inscriptions from the Iberian peninsula.
The Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania
Mysteries at Eleusis - Images of ancient inscriptions on stone from Eleusis.
Online Resources for the Study of Greek Epigraphy
POxy: Oxyrhynchus Online - A guide and online database for the Oxyrhynchus Papyri.
Papyri.info - The Papyrological Navigator (PN) and the Papyrological Editor (PE)
The Packard Humanities Institute - Searchable Greek Inscriptions
Roman Inscriptions of Britain Online
St Andrews Corpus - Egyptian texts
The Thesaurus Linguae Graecae® (subscription)and The Abridged TLG® (open access) - digital library of Greek literature from Antiquity to the present.
Unicode fonts for ancient scripts
U.S. Epigraphy Project - a database of some 750 Greek and 1,700 Latin inscriptions in the USA, with links to search englines and epigraphy sites.
Vindolanda Tablets Online - a searchable online edition of the tablets, an introduction to the tablets and their context, and a guide to aspects of the tablets’ content.
A Picture of Women Weaving in the History, Art, and Literature of Ancient Greece - Mansfield University
Diotima - Materials for the study of women and gender in the ancient world
Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index
Homosexuality in Greece and Rome: a sourcebook of basic documents in translation
People with a History: An Online Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans* History - Links to primary sources and papers
Women in the Ancient World - the status, role and daily life of women in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, Athens, Israel and Babylonia
Women in Classical Athens by By Jørgen Christian Meyer
Women’s History Sourcebook - primary and secondary sources for time periods including Ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome
Women’s Life in Greece and Rome by by Mary R. Lefkowitz and Maureen B. Fan
