Research Guides: CSTS 217: Unruly Bodies: Narratives of Disability in Greece and Rome (HC): Background

Disability in Art

Hephaistos rides a donkey with his disabled foot, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Greek Archaic period, circa 530 BC (Source: William & Mary University)

Companions and Handbooks

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 areas of interest. As a result, students 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 disabilities in Antiquity, see:

"Physically Deformed And Disabled People" by Werner Reiss in The Oxford Handbook of Social Relations in the Roman World (2011)

"Raising a Disabled Child" in The Oxford Handbook of Childhood and Education in the Classical World (2013)

"Disability History and Greco-Roman Antiquity" by C.F. Goodey and M. Lynn Rose in The Oxford History of Disability History (2018)

Part V Healing and the Human Body in A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome (2016)

Collections of essays include:

Disability in Antiquity, edited by Christian Laes (Routledge, 2017). Contents

Mental Disorders in the Classical World, edited by William V. Harris (Brill, 2013). Contents

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

Blackwell Companions - 65 Titles

Brill Companions - 35 Titles

Cambridge Companions - 44 Titles

Web Sources

Classics and Social Justice - "I am not disabled."
Blog entry by Debby Sneed reflecting on her study of disability in ancient Greece.

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.

Sites on the Web (University of Kentucky)
A very extensive list of resource for Classics.

Encyclopedias

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
All Pauly volumes available in print at HVC.
Connect to BMC's supplement volumes online from a BMC IP address.
Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte; Joseph B. Solodow (Translator); Don P. Fowler (Revised by); Glen W. Most (Revised by)
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Publication Date: 1999-11-04
An authoritative and comprehensive history of Latin literature from the early republic through the late empire. Treats cultural history and reception in addition to the lives and works of authors, development of genres, and sources.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome by Michael Gagarin; Elaine Fantham
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Publication Date: 2010-01-01
This new 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.
The Oxford Classical Dictionary by Sander Goldberg (Editor)
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Publication Date: 2016
In its digital form, the new OCD is a continuously updated and ever-expanding resource that will ensure scholarship remains current and reflective of emerging subfields and perspectives. New and revised articles written by leading international authors will appear on a rolling basis. The OCD also incorporates intuitive search and browse features and multimedia, including images, links, and audiovisual clips that complement textual content and connect readers to innovative digital materials that have become integral to the field.

Research Guides

Oxford Bibliographies in Classics
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Provides annotated bibliographies for many topics in Classical Studies. Includes introductions to each topic area, journals, reference works, and recent scholarship. This is an ongoing work with new essays added twice a year.
See relevant examples including:
"Medicine " in Greek and Roman Science
Oedipus
Prometheus

Library Resources in Classics
A thoroughly developed guide for research in Classics. Some of the material is particular to the Princeton campus but much of it will be of use to you as you work on your thesis.
Handbook for Classical Research
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Provides overview chapters for each of the fields embraced by classical studies, including philology, art and religion. Many sections represent the sort of guidance one might expect from a thesis advisor, with helpful summaries such as "How Laws Were Made in Ancient Rome."