Research Guides: WRPR 191 Constructions of Race and Ethnicity in the Classical World (HC): Background

Hellenistic Sculpture

Egyptian sculpture, Late 2nd. century B.C.E., marble (Source: Brooklyn Museum, Public domain)

Companion Series

Companions and handbooks are very helpful kinds of sources. They are edited by leading scholars in the particular areas of research, and those editors commission researchers to write individual essays on the subjects which are their specialties. As a result, readers get a much better understanding of the issues involved in a particular subject area, since the authors go beyond factual summaries to analysis of differing arguments in the field.

For companions and handbooks involving ethnicity and race, see:

A Companion to Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean (2014)

A Companion to Late Ancient Jews and Judaism: Third century BCE to Seventh Century CE (2020)

"Ethnic Prejudice and Racism" in The Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies (2009)

"Identity" in The Oxford Handbook of Roman Egypt (2012)

Oxford Handbook of Jewish Daily Life in Roman Palestine (2010)

Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity (2012)

Routledge Handbook of Identity and the Environment in the Classical and Medieval Worlds (2016)

Additional relevant material may be found in the series listed below when you look by Classical author, literary genre, or topic.

Blackwell Companions - With newest titles listed first

Brill Companions - With newest titles listed first

Cambridge Companions - With newest titles listed first

Encyclopedias for Classical Studies

Brill's New Pauly by Hubert Cancik (Editor); Helmut Schneider (Editor); Manfred Landfester (Editor); Christine F. Salazar (Editor)
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Publication Date: 2003-12-01
Updated and translated version of the standard encyclopedia for Antiquity, Paulys Real-Encyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft. Articles are extensive and often address the topic in general before analyzing the issues in Greece and in Rome specifically. Bibliographies list books, essays, and journal articles for further reading.
There are also additional series published with the encyclopedia, including a five-volume set on the classical tradition and an ongoing series of supplements:
1) Chronologies of the Ancient World
2) Dictionary of Greek and Latin Authors and Texts
3) Historical Atlas of the Ancient World
4) Reception of Myth and Mythology
5) Reception of Classical Literature
6) History of Classical Scholarship - A Biographical Dictionary
7) Figures of Antiquity and Their Reception in Art, Literature and Music
8) The Reception of antiquity in Renaissance Humanism
9) The Early Mediterranean World, 1200-600 BC
10) History and Culture of Byzantium
12) The Reception of Antiquity in the Age of Enlightenment
Note that all Pauly volumes are available in print at Haverford. Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore have all the volumes online.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome by Michael Gagarin; Elaine Fantham
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Publication Date: 2010-01-01
This encyclopedia offers a comprehensive overview of the literature, history, archaeology, art, philosophy, science, and religion of the Greek and Roman world from the Bronze Age to the fifth century CE. It also covers the legacy of the classical world and its interpretation and influence in subsequent centuries. Essay-length articles include linked references to related entries as well as select list of titles for further reading.
Oxford Classical Dictionary by Tim Whitmarsh
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Publication Date: Continuously updated online.
Substantive, peer-reviewed, and regularly updated, the Oxford Classical Dictionary combines the speed and flexibility of online scholarship with the rigorous standards of academic publishing. It offers over 6,000 articles covering Greek and Roman literature, history, myth, religion, art, gender and science.

Material on the Web

Africans in Ancient Greek Art
Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research provides art images from antiquity which document the presence of Africans in ancient Greece.
Barack Obama -- and the first 'African-Roman' emperor of Rome
Blog from Mary Beard about race and politics published in her book, It's a Don's Life.
Blacks in Europe
Part of a larger website documenting representations of Blacks in different time periods and places. The section labelled Gallery includes Greek and Roman examples.
"Egypt in Roman Visual and Material Culture" By Caitlín E. Barrett
This review article addresses current controversies and opportunities in research on the roles, uses, and meanings of “Egypt” in ancient Roman visual and material culture. {From the article abstract]
Ethnic Identity in Roman Tebtunis
This online exhibit from the University of California considers the different categories which distinguished Egyptians from Greeks and from Romans,

Perseus Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Database of Greek and Latin texts and translations, images (coins, vases, sculpture) and resources for textual studies. Searchable in English, Latin, and Greek.

Race/Ethnicity Bibliography
Rebecca Futo Kennedy (Denison University) maintains this bibliography and teaching resource list about race and ethnicity in Greek and Roman antiquity.