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Faculty of Classics

 

The major strength of the Classics Library is its collections on the Classical world of ancient Greece and Rome including literature, history, philosophy, mythology and religion, palaeography, linguistics and philology, art, sculpture, numismatics and classical archaeology. The Modern Greek collection is primarily literary, but also includes books on Byzantine and Modern Greek history.

Make a Book Suggestion for Classics or other libraries in Cambridge.  

For up-to-date information on our electronic collections see the Classics Libguide.

Our classification system uses a 3 part classmark, e.g. F  4.78  9. The first letter, or letters, directs you to the relevant part of the collection. The middle number or letters indicate the sub-section, and the final number is a running number for items. The main divisions within the collection are as follows:

 

Start of classmark

Contents

R / S

Reference books, including dictionaries, encyclopaedias and atlases

A

Major Greek and Latin text series

B

Greek texts and commentaries

C

Latin texts and commentaries

D

History

E

Literature

F

Philosophy and Religion

G

Modern Greek

J

Linguistics

Per

Periodicals

V / VV

General archaeology by region

W

Architecture and pre-Hellenic archaeology

WW

Greek and Roman sculpture

X

General art, painting, vases

XX

Other arts

XX/NUM

Numismatics

Y

Specific archaeological sites

YY

Travel guides, archaeological theory, museology, Byzantine art

Other sections include:

Start of classmark

Contents

EP

Epigraphy

First aisle of rolling stacks

H

Palaeography

RVR – room opposite the issue desk

Pam

Pamphlets

Closed stacks – must be requested at the issue desk

SL (end of classmark)

Short loan books

Behind the Issue Desk – please ask a staff member

T

Language materials

On the Sidgwick Site side of the library, after the catalogue terminals

 

We also hold a number of prize-winning undergraduate Part II dissertations which may be consulted within the Library by university members. Please ask at the Issue Desk for more details.

 

Special Collections

Please contact the Librarian if you would like to consult any of our special collections:

Early printed books

Mainly on ancient classical sites collected by the Museum of Classical Archaeology.

Leake Collection

This is a collection of notebooks of the journeys in Greece of Colonel Leake (1777-1860), soldier and topographer are now housed in the Archives, please contact the archivist to consult.

Owen Collection

G.E.L. Owen studied Ancient Greek philosophy. This collection includes philosophical books, working versions of published papers and early working notes.  These are now housed in the Faculty Archives, please contact the archivist to consult.

Map Collection

The Library holds maps drawn up by the War Office in the 1940s. These are of particular interest to archaeologists for their excellent topographical detail.

 

Search the library collections across the University

 

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Latest news

VIEWS PhD Studentship

4 April 2023

The Faculty of Classics is recruiting for a PhD student to join the Visual Interactions in Early Writing Systems (VIEWS) project in October 2023. The student will work on a predetermined topic, namely visual aspects of the linear scripts of the Bronze Age Aegean (Cretan Hieroglyphic, Linear A and Linear B), although there...

Classics Shorts with Mary Beard: videos for schools

19 February 2023

We are thrilled to be launching Classics Shorts : a series of videos for schools introducing the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and exploring themes with continuing resonance for the modern classroom. Each film is accompanied by teaching materials for use in schools. Celebrity guests join Mary Beard and her colleagues to...

New appointment in Classical Archaeology

10 February 2023

The Faculty is delighted to announce that Dr Jane Rempel has been appointed to an Assistant Professorship in Classics from 1 September 2023. She is currently Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at the University of Sheffield.

Regius Professorship of Greek

16 January 2023

The Faculty is delighted to announce that Professor Tim Whitmarsh FBA has been elected Regius Professor of Greek from 1 April 2023. He is currently the A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture in the University. Looking ahead to his new role, Professor Whitmarsh commented: ’I am thrilled and honoured to be taking up this...