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Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology

Classical References

Referencing Classical Sources (Chicago 17th)

Classical references are usually given in the text, but you can also provide them as footnotes. Citations of classical works begin with the author’s name (sometimes abbreviated), followed by a short or abbreviated title, usually in italics. In cases where only one work by an author is known, the title may be omitted. This is followed by a sequence of numbers and/or letters that indicate the specific subdivisions of the work. Arabic numerals tend to be favoured in recent publications, but older citations often use Latin numerals as well. Exactly how works are subdivided varies. Book, chapter, section and/or line numbers are often provided. Some works are cited by page numbers (and/or columns) of standard, or once-standard, editions. Scholarly editions of classical texts will be subdivided by these schemes, as will many translations. Abbreviations should be taken from the Oxford Classical Dictionary (OCD) and/or from the Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (ODB). If you are planning to use catalogues of epigraphic, papyrological, or numismatic material, you should mention the abbreviated name of the collections (e.g., CIL, RRC), volume number, and individual item number. Please see section 14.249 from the Chicago Manual of Style and consult with your module tutor for specific conventions.

Examples of in-text references or footnotes:

1. Ovid, Amores 1.7.27.

2. Aristotle, Metaphysics 3.2.996b5–8; Plato, Republic 360e–361b.

3. Thuc. 2.40.2-3.

4. Pindar, Isthm. 7.43-45.

5. CIL 4.3786

You should also provide bibliographic details of the edition and/or translation of the work you are using in your bibliography.

Examples of works cited in the bibliography:

Epictetus, Dissertationes, ed. Heinrich Schenkl (Stuttgart: Teubner, 1916).

Herodotus, The History, trans. David Grene (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987).

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, ed. Theodore Mommsen et al. (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1863-)

Further information and guidance

Students should consult the CAHA Student Information Hub on Canvas for further details and guidelines on special references for Classicists.

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