About the Classical Studies Collection

History of the Collection

The Indiana University Libraries' Classical Studies Collection has grown along with the university, as the curriculum during the first three years of the University's existence consisted exclusively of courses in Latin and Greek. The collection covers, for the most part at the research level, Greek and Latin literature, language, culture, palaeography, papyrology, epigraphy, text criticism, mythology, and religion; the history of classical scholarship; patristics; classical archaeology; and ancient history.

Strengths of the Collection

Notable strengths include Campanian studies, Greek and Roman authors, myth and popular literature, and digital resources.  The main focus is on the period from about the 8th century B.C.E to the 5th century C.E. in the ancient Mediterranean world and, to a lesser extent, those areas of Europe and Near East ruled or influenced by Greece and Rome. Materials in Latin literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance have increased since 2002.

The primary clientele for the Libraries' collections in Classical Studies are faculty, graduate students, and upper-level undergraduates in the department, but also those from other areas of the humanities, such as Anthropology, Comparative Literature, Fine Arts, Folklore, History, Linguistics, Medieval studies, Philosophy, and Theatre and Drama, who need materials on the ancient world as background for their particular studies.