Encyclopedias & More - History - Ancient & Medieval

Why Use Reference Works?

Reference works include encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, directories, and other succinct background or factual materials to aid in research.

They may give you a succinct overview of a topic.
They may help you identify a topic to explore in depth.
They may provide quick, reliable facts.
They may include bibliographies that will lead you to detailed studies.

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and More

Encyclopedia of Ancient History
E-book. A comprehensive collection of twenty-first century scholarship on the ancient world, from the Late Bronze Age through the seventh century CE. Entries extend to all Mediterranean civilizations, including the Near East and Egypt.

Dictionary of the Middle Ages by Joseph R. Strayer (Editor)
Call Number: Davis Family Library Ref D114 .D5 1982
Publication Date: 1982
Comprehensive coverage, encyclopedia-like articles. 13 volumes. Standard reference work.
Medieval Iberia: An Encyclopedia by E. Michael Gerli (Editor)
Call Number: Davis Family Library REF DP99 .M33 2003
Publication Date: 2003
Covers medieval Spain. Focuses on the Iberian kingdoms from the fall of the Roman Empire to the aftermath of the Reconquista. Coverage of literature, language, history, arts, folklore, religion, and science. Provides in-depth discussions of the rich contributions of Muslim and Jewish cultures, and offers useful insights into their interactions with Catholic Spain.

More Background Resources

Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
Online access to over 300 volumes published since 1960, over 196,000 pages and over 15 different academic subjects from ancient history, economic history, history of music, language and linguistics, theatre studies and performing arts, and religious studies.

Cambridge Ancient History
Print. Davis Family Library D57 .C252 (14 volumes)

Civilizations of the Ancient Near East by Jack M. Sasson (Editor)
Call Number: Print: Davis Family Library Ref DS57 .C55 1995
Examines the cultures of the ancient Near East from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic era. It describes the physical world of the ancient Near East, evaluates its impact on succeeding cultures.

Cambridge Medieval History
I. The Christian Roman empire and the foundation of the Teutonic kingdoms. 1911. --II. The rise of the Saracens and the foundation of the Western empire. 1913. --III. Germany and the Western empire. 1922. --IV. The eastern Roman empire (717-1453). 1923. --V. Contest of empire and papacy. 1926. --VI. Victory of the papacy. 1929. --VII. Decline of empire and papacy. 1932. --VIII. The close of the middle ages. 1936. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1964-67. D117 C3 1964

Medieval Islamic Civilization by Josef W. Meri (Editor)
Call Number: Davis Family Library Ref DS36.85 >M434 2006
2 Volumes. Examines the socio-cultural history of the regions where Islam took hold between the seventh and sixteenth century.
The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Culture by Andrew Galloway (Editor)
Call Number: E-book
ISBN: 9780521673273
Publication Date: 2011
"This Companion introduces a wide range of materials that constitute the culture, or cultures, of medieval England, across fields including political and legal history, archaeology, social history, art history, religion and the history of education."
The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Attila by Michael Maas (Editor)
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2014
This book examines the age of Attila, roughly the fifth century CE, an era in which western Eurasia experienced significant geopolitical and cultural changes.
The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Christianity by John H. Arnold (Editor)
Call Number: E-Book
ISBN: 9780199582136
Publication Date: 2014
The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe by Judith M. Bennett (Editor); Ruth Mazo Karras (Editor)
Call Number: E-book
ISBN: 9780199582174
Publication Date: 2013
The Cambridge Companion to Medievalism by Louise D'Arcens (Editor)
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2016
Medievalism - "the creative interpretation or recreation of the European Middle Ages". This companion "offers a panoramic view of the historical, aesthetic, ideological and conceptual dimensions of this phenomenon."

More Reference Sources

Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
A collection of subject-specific encyclopedias published by Gale. Search across the whole collection or narrow your search by subject area or title of reference work.