For the purposes of this course primary evidence is anything that is the subject of your research. It is likely to include anything created before 400 CE that you mention in your writings. It may include depending on the subject of your research later materials. If you are writing on the reception of a some part of antiquity in a later period the reception–on coins, in paintings, in literature, in newspaper articles, or public speeches–whatever those later materials you are working on are also your primary evidence, BUT you still need primary evidence from antiquity.
Not all primary evidence is ‘true’. Keep in mind that in ancient history we still consider something primary evidence even if it was made 200 years or more after an event, because of the distance between us and the creation of that evidence. You need to remember all the questions about primary evidence we started asking in the Pandora unit:
When we look a primary evidence that isn’t a text, that is material culture, there are some standard questions we need to ask to know how to use that piece of evidence:
Why was it made?
For whom? By whom? For what use?
How was it used?
What do we know about the type of object in general? Are there hints from where it was discovered? Where and in what context is it likely to have been used/seen?
Are there likely secondary audiences?
Not the people or person it was made for, but others who are likely to have seen in
Does it represent a serious investment?
Are the materials costly? Is the manufacture process expensive?
Why does it survive? What of its context has been lost?
Think about these questions in relation to the above objects but don’t worry too much about them right now. We’ll talk A LOT about these things in future units. This is the shallow end of the conversation.
When we consider textual primary evidence our questions aren’t that different:
Who wrote it? Where and when? What is the genre? What are the conventions of that genre? How well does it conform or not conform to those conventions. What is the purpose of the composition? By whom was it intended to be heard? (most ancient literature is heard, not read) In what sort of setting?
Who translated it? When? What might be lost in translation? (Comparing translations can help)
What does the author assume we know or are familiar with? What values do they assume we share? How do they use imagery and juxtaposition and other rhetorical tools to guide our interpretation?
Are we supposed to believe what we read? In what sense?
Finding Primary Evidence
I cannot teach you all the ways to find primary evidence and many of the most suitable techniques will vary project to project. However what follows is an assignment that will (1) help teach you some strategies, (2) let me see your present skills, and (3) inform how I suggest further resources to you.
This exercise has three parts; for the class assignment you need to complete all three parts.
Template for submission – you will need fuller directions below to complete!
The Sourcebook Strategy
One of the great things is that historians know finding evidence can be hard. And so the ‘sourcebook’ genre was born! This is primary evidence collected and organized and translated by a recognized scholar sometimes with commentary and notes for contextual help.
You may choose any book off this list OR any other sourcebook you find through online searches or through the library. Browse not just the titles but also the contents of each book looking for something potentially relevant to your research topic.
- Give the Chicago style author-date citation of the sourcebook and the number of piece of primary evidence and the page number this entry is found on. If the primary evidence is given a title by the editor include that as well.
- Copy and paste or screen shot the whole of your chosen relevant entry.
- Is there notes and commentary with the entry that is not ancient but rather the editor of the volume’s words? If so describe how they are differentiated from the entry itself.
- Where did the entry come from? This is usually given directly under the title. Look for author, title of work, and any book or section numbers. Is the sourcebook entry the complete source or only part of a larger original? Or can you not tell? It may be relevant in your later research to find that whole original later in your research.
- Determine when this primary evidence was created/written. This can be as simple as looking up the author’s dates in a reliable encyclopedia.
- Write a 4-6 sentences (a paragraph) about what you see as the significance of this evidence as it relates to your research topic or question.
Searchable Collections Strategy
Web searches are old hat, but where you look matters, as does your search terms. You may choose any number of searchable collections for this assignment. You many search for relevant texts or you many search for relevant images. Look over the directions and decide which is more appropriate for your research topic.
Looking for Textual Evidence
Loeb Classical Library – Database through BC library. Limit your search by date to help make results more relevant.
Philologic – let’s you either search Greek or Latin texts, but if you use an English search term your results will return in English translation.
Lacus Curtius – No built in search function but you can use advanced google search. In this example search delete brothel and replace with your own key word. IGNORE any search results that have secondary in the url. This site has more on Rome than Greece.
Remember to try lots of different variations not just prostitute, but also prostitution, brothel, flute-girl, whore, madam, courtesan. Many of the translations are OLD: sex-worker is unlikely to come up, even if it is not the preferred term.
Looking for Visual Evidence
Beazley Archive – If you want Greek pots (so many pots in this class!!)
British Museum – huge collection, limit search results by culture or date to return most relevant
MET – huge collection, limit by department to return most relevant results (link should have this pre set but good to remember if arriving at the search another way)
Arachne – the most thorough and best database. First go to Google translate and translate your search term into German. Then enter it in database. On the right handside click ‘ja’ to limit results to those with images. Use Google translate again to understand text. You may have to create a free account to see higher res images.
- What website(s) did you decide to search? Why? What where your search terms?
- Screenshot and copy and paste your chosen result that is most relevant to your research.
- When was this created/written? Where? By whom? Why? (if you can guess!)
- Write a 4-6 sentences (a paragraph) about what you see as the significance of this evidence as it relates to your research topic or question.
The Footnote Chasing Strategy
This is much like the footnote reference chasing we did for secondary literature in the first worksheet. Remember if your first choice proves too difficult, you should feel free to start over. You may of course also contact me to difficult one.
- Choose a chapter or article from your annotated bibliography. It can be the article for which you just completed article analysis, or something else. Give the Chicago style author-date citation.
- Copy out a both the footnote (or other in text reference) and the sentence to which it is attached to a piece of primary evidence that you think is likely to be relevant to your topic. Be sure to indicate on what page this information occurred.
- Decode the reference, if abbreviated. This can be hard. Check these abbreviation lists (hint: if you hit ctrl+f you can search the text of a webpage): OCD list, L&S list, L&D list. Still can’t find it? Google it and see if google knows. Still no clue? email me. Want to know more about abbreviations systems in classics? Library guide from UChicago and Wikipedia entry.
- Describe how you located the original. Once you have the abbreviation the next challenge is to find the original. It is likely that you can do so either through a freely available online translation or the BC subscription to the Loeb Classical Library. Common online places to find public domain translation are Lacus Curtius, Perseus, Livius. You can also try type the name of the author you want and translation into Google. You might also try typing your abbreviation whole abbreviation and citation into google with the word philologic. This often works for me, but not always. Sample search. Another sample search. Consult the video demonstration.
- Provide a quotation or image such as you might include in your paper:
- Determine when this primary evidence was created/written. This can be as simple as looking up the author’s dates in a reliable encyclopedia.
- Write a 4-6 sentences (a paragraph) about what you see as the significance of this evidence as it relates to your research topic or question.
Gender & Sexuality 