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Primary sources for humanities: Archaeology & Ancient History

Archaeology & Ancient History primary sources

English translations of Greek or Latin texts:

  • Loeb classical library A fully searchable, virtual library of Greek and Latin literature with English translations. Includes epic and lyric poetry; tragedy and comedy; history, travel, philosophy, and oratory; the great medical writers and mathematicians; and, those Church Fathers who made particular use of pagan culture. Users can browse, search, bookmark, annotate, and share content.
  • Perseus digital library A comprehensive digital database of Greek and Roman texts as well as other collections. Site is owned by Tufts University.
  • Lacus Curtius A large web repository of Greek and Latin texts.

Primary Source Sites

For Researchers (texts in Greek or Latin language)

  • Thesaurus linguae Graecae (TLG) The TLG digital library contains virtually all ancient Greek texts surviving from the period between Homer (8th century B.C.) and A.D. 600, and a large number of texts deriving from the period between A.D. 600 and the fall of the Byzantium in 1453, in excess of 80 million words. Scholia and Byzantine historiographical and lexicographical works are also included. Topics include Greek literature, history, and culture.
  • Library of Latin texts. Contains texts from the beginning of Latin literature (Livius Andronicus, 240 BC) through to the texts of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). It covers all the works from the classical period, the most important patristic works, a very extensive corpus of Medieval Latin literature as well as works of recentior latinitas. Primarily designed for finding Latin word forms within the works in this collection. Each search-query shows the results in the context of a sentence, but from here the user can consult the whole text of the work. Texts can also be accessed through an index of author and work references. Each work that is incorporated has been the subject of a historical and literary-critical examination by the Centre Traditio Litterarum Occidentalium (or its predecessor, Cetedoc) and is accompanied by a didactical "memento" (Background on the text) which supplies chronological, bibliographical, critical and statistical information. All relevant Clavis Patrum Latinorum entries have been fully integrated.