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Collections Overviews - Humanities

Classics, Byzantine, and Medieval Studies

Scope

This overview describes research collections in classics (in its broadest definition), Byzantine studies, and mediaevalia. These areas of study can be thought of as those dealing with the peoples and cultures influenced by two groups of Indo-European speakers, namely, the Greeks and the Romans.

In addition, this overview also extends to all relevant portions of the ancillary disciplines needed for research in these areas. These disciplines include archaeology, art, literature, philosophy, numismatics, history, anthropology, and linguistics.

General Research Strengths

The Library of Congress is a major center for the studies as outlined above. Classics have been with this institution since its very inception--both the first and the replacement Jefferson libraries were heavy with classical works and one can even see Mr. Jefferson's handwritten corrections in the margins of his Greek and Latin works. This continued throughout the nineteenth century, which also witnessed the growth in the discipline and in its scientific development--from textual criticism to archaeological methodology.

The collection at the Library of Congress, by its sheer quantity, must be viewed as one of major proportions for these studies in the United States. The hallmark of the collection, of course, is the general collection. From texts of the authors, to translations, commentaries, historical discussions, excavation reports, reference works to collections of inscriptions, vases, sculptures, etc., it is a vast and still growing collection, although with noticeable gaps.ibrary of the Annotated Card program, bibliographic access to children's books has been further strengthened.

Areas of Distinction

The Microform Reading Room is the repository of microfilmed collections of Latin, Greek, and other ancient language manuscripts from the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, various monasteries of Mount Athos, and the Monastery of St. Catherine's on Mt. Sinai. This project was done for the Library of Congress in the 1950s and the collections remain a major resource for scholars here and abroad.

The Rare Book Reading Room houses many early imprints in Latin and Greek, along with early translations and historical discussions. Its strength, however, lies in its support of serendipitous discovery (e.g., early printed travel accounts which happen to have drawings of now destroyed ancient monuments; prints in an early work published in one area used in newly founded printing houses thousands of miles away; maps, etc.). These rarities are often featured in Library exhibits. The Latin and Greek manuscripts owned by the Library are kept here.

The Law Library has a major collection of Roman Law and Canonical Law collections; its works on the legal structure of corresponding cultures and nations are also highly useful.

The Manuscript Reading Room contains the diaries of many of the founding fathers of the Republic: all of these are peppered with classical knowledge and although not directly related to the study of Classics, knowledge of the classics is important for deciphering them.

The Geography and Map Division is famous for its antique map collection. Many maps are directly applicable to the study of these regions and the areas they influenced. These collections are also important for tracing knowledge of the world at a given point, through classical atlases and study of toponyms.

Weaknesses/Exclusions

Unfortunately much 19th century material in these areas, though still valuable, was published in the era of acidic paper. Serials are also problematic; a recent survey of the 75 titles marked as of primary importance in the pages of H. Bengtson's Introduction to Ancient History reveals that the Library is not as strong as it should be. The Library has many serials from around the world, but the collection could be improved not only by adding titles but also by filling the gaps in holdings.

Classics, and especially editions of the classical, Byzantine and mediaeval authors, do not enter easily the mechanisms for acquisitions in the Library of Congress. A new edition may consist of the addition of the variants based on one or two manuscripts. These make the new edition absolutely indispensable, yet may not have been ordered because of the existence of older editions. Also, works on these disciplines are published in every major language--Italian, French, German, Russian, yet important new foreign works may not have been recommended or acquired systematically.

The Library of Congress also has not acquired important machine-readable materials which are now available to those studying these disciplines, such as the Thesaurus linguae Graecae (a data base which aims to document every printed Greek word), although it is at the Center for Hellenic Studies.