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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 or Journal 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

Classical Equalities Lecture 25 April 2024 at 17.00 in G19

4 March 2024

Jane Draycott will be giving this year’s Classical Equalities lecture, on ‘ Prostheses in Classical Antiquity: Everything You Never Knew You Wanted To Know’. Jane Draycott is Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Glasgow. Her research investigates science, technology, and medicine in the ancient world. She has...

Soundmarks Project

12 February 2024

Soundmarks, an art/archaeology collaboration between Rose Ferraby, Cambridge Archaeologist, and Rob St John using sound and visual art launches at DIG in York. In 2019 the pair created work exploring and animating the sub-surface landscape of Aldborough Roman Town in North Yorkshire, UK. Soundmarks Aldborough was re-shown...

Vacancy: Assistant Professor in Latin literature

8 February 2024

The Faculty of Classics is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor in Classics (Latin literature) from 01 September 2024. The role is open to those, at any stage in their career, with a primary research interest in Latin literature. The successful candidates will have, or be expected to develop, a record of world-class...

Publication: The New Documents in Mycenaean Greek

24 January 2024

The Faculty of Classics is proud to announce the publication of The New Documents in Mycenaean Greek , edited by John Killen FBA, the Emeritus Professor of Mycenaean Greek. More than a dozen leading Mycenologists have contributed chapters and sections to this seminal work in two volumes, comprised of more than 1100 pages...