ART 108 - Art of the Ancient World - Prof. Jones: Search Strategy

See the list of recommended databases under the Finding Articles tab.

When searching for sources, use your keywords, do not type in whole sentences. 

There is no one 'correct' search word to use. Different keywords will give you more results. Think of words that mean the same or something similar as your topic and try those words too.  E.g. Coins, Coinage, Mints, Money, Numismatics + specific coins (e.g. denarii, solidi)

You may need to broaden or narrow  your search terms depending on your results :

Broader Search: Painting instead of Fresco

Narrower Search: Ceramic (medium) instead of Pottery (object type) 

Use the asterisk * to truncate words and widen your search. Byzant* will search for Byzantine and Byzantium

Use quotation marks to keep phrases together: e.g. "Tomb Painting" 

Better to use a period name (if there is one) instead of dates or centuries: Anglo-Saxon (5th-11thc), Edo Period (17th-19c Japan) etc.

e.g. search  Rebirth AND sculpture AND Buddhism

Dakini AND Symbolism AND Art

Lotus AND Egypt* AND Art

Rebirth AND Tomb Painting AND Egypt*

Try your search terms in different combinations to get the greatest number of results.

You may find it difficult to find sources that discuss your selected artwork/object in any detail. Look for sources that examine works that are very similar to yours in some way. 

Here are some ways to think about your selected artwork/object (these are just a few examples):

• Historical period/cultural background: When/Where was this made. How is this typical (or not) from similar objects created at this time?
• Materials and Techniques: What is this object created from, What kinds of techniques and skills were used? Where/When did this technique develop? How widespread was it at this time?
• Subject Matter/Symbolism: What is the artwork/object depicting? Is there any special significance for the materials, colors, motifs used? Are they religious, cultural, mythological symbols or just decoration?
• Purpose: What was the object intended for, who would have used it? In what context?

Glorification of the Virgin group from the Royal Abbey of St. Denis, c1260. 

These statuettes were carved from elephant ivory, likely from the savanna elephants of West Africa (Loxodonta africana), representative of a lively trade between Africa and Europe in the middle ages.

Guerin, Sarah. "Ivory and the Ties that Bind." In Whose Middle Ages? Teachable Moments for an Ill-Used Past, edited by Andrew Albin, Mary C. Erler, Thomas O'Donnell, Nicholas, D. Paul, and Nina Rowe, 140-153. New York: Fordham University Press, 2019.