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Classical Mythology

 

Articles and Databases

ARTstor
This database lets you search museum collections for paintings, sculpture, and other works of art from all areas of the world and all periods of history.

ProQuest

Books

The CAT - Find Books and Other Materials at Penn State.

Subject headings for locating materials on classical mythology:

Try the "browse" search using these general subject headings:

  • Mythology, Classical
  • Mythology, Greek
  • Mythology, Roman


Some mythological characters and themes have their own subject headings; for example:

  • Achilles (Greek mythology)
  • Aeneas (Legendary character)
  • Jupiter (Roman deity)
  • Zeus (Greek deity)


How to find materials NOT at Penn State.

Reference

The following reference works not only offer basic information on specific topics, but are also useful starting points for more advanced research. Check The CAT for more information.

For general information on the classical world and on classical literature:

The Oxford classical dictionary, 3rd edition. Ready Ref DE5.O9 1996
This is the single most important reference source for basic information on all areas of classical antiquity. Try searching the Cat for works listed in the bibliographies of individual articles.

The Oxford companion to classical literature. Ref PA31.H69 1989
This book is a helpful introduction to the authors, works, genres, and themes of classical literature.

For information on classical mythology:

  • Dictionary of classical mythology. Ref BL715.G713 1986
  • Encyclopedia of ancient deities. Ref BL782.C67 2000
  • Encyclopedia of Greco-Roman mythology. Ref BL715.D56 1998

All three of these works offer basic information on deities, characters, and themes in classical mythology.

Athena: classical mythology (CD-ROM).  Music and Media Center BL715.A86 1995
This database of classical myth and literature offers descriptive information on mythical characters, summaries of myths, and full text English prose translations.

Finding Art Works

These two sources identify paintings, sculptures, and other works of art depicting specific mythical characters and themes. They also provide bibliographic data for locating published reproductions of cited works of art. Search citations in the CAT to locate works at Penn State.

Don't let the Latin title frighten you! Like the two works above, this multilingual dictionary identifies works of art featuring mythological motifs.

Web Links

Encyclopedia mythica: An international group of scholars in the areas of classics, archaeology, anthropology, literature, and religious studies offers this free online encyclopedia of mythology.

Palmer Museum of Art: Explore the Museum's resources online.

University Libraries/Research Tools:  Provides access to The CAT and other library resources.

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