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I'm sharing how >I< find the texts and images I want. I do this purely as a hobby, which means these are methods I discovered on my own and, in many cases, began using instinctively to guide me. Therefore, I cannot say which methods are the most efficient or reliable, and I am simply describing my own process. Consequently, the examples of how to use them will also be based primarily on my own past usage. In short, this post is limited to my personal experience.

I won't include images because 1) Tumblr has an image limit, and it would look odd if some parts had images while others didn't, and 2) the post would become even longer. Instead, I’ll include links whenever I need to provide examples or tutorials. I know some people find clicking links annoying, but I recommend at least checking out the tutorials since I won't be providing tutorials here myself. But I also have to reduce the number of links due to how Tumblr works, so they will be limited here as well.

Since most of my followers are here for Greco-Roman mythology, I’ll focus on that. BUT these tips apply to real historical figures and subjects beyond Greece and Rome, too! For example, the advice on researching names works for a real-life figure. When it comes to researching primary sources and avoiding modern reinterpretations, you can exclude popular movies about these figures. For image sites, look for archaeological artifacts associated with them! For sites with textual sources, look for writings by philosophers (e.g., Plato), geographers (e.g., Strabo), historians (e.g., Herodotus), travelers (e.g., Pausanias), biographers (e.g., Plutarch), and so on. That sort of thing.

Finally, this post may contain spelling/translation errors.

Have you explored Google?

Let's start with the most basic thing: Google. Most people use Google, but not everyone takes full advantage of its benefits! 

Do you know the operators?

For example, when you search for something, you can use search operators to make your life easier. There are already pages on the internet explaining how it works, so here I will just give examples of how I use some of these in the case of the searches I do. But I recommend accessing the links provided if you are interested!

NOTE: I'm using names because they were the easiest to exemplify, but the same logic applies to other types of words, such as "sources”, "archaic", "ancient Rome", "homosexuality”, "slavery”, "misogyny", etc.

QUOTATION MARKS

When you write something between quotation marks (“[word/phrase]”), it causes the search result to necessarily contain the word or phrase between quotation marks. Some examples of how to use this in Greek-Roman mythology research:

NON-OPERATOR METHOD X OPERATOR METHOD: If I search for the sequence of names Perseus Andromeda Danae Medusa… there will be results that don’t necessarily contain all the names, like perhaps an article specifically about Andromeda that doesn’t necessarily mention Danae. But if I search for “Perseus” “Andromeda” “Danae” “Medusa”, the results will necessarily contain all 4 names, like for example a page about the myth of Perseus & co in general.

CAREFUL WITH THE PHRASING: Note that if I search for “Perseus, Andromeda, Danae, Medusa”, including them in the same quotation marks, Google will look for identical results. That is, texts in which, at some point, the author has listed them in this same way. They won’t be searched as separate names, but as a phrase. For example, if someone listed them, but Danae is the second name instead of Andromeda, it won’t appear in the result because it isn’t an exact match. 

REMEMBER THE NAMES SPELLING: Also, in the case of names with variations, it will search specifically for the variation that you wrote. For example, searching for “Patroclus” isn’t the same as searching for “Patroklos” or something like that. Sure, I might still end up finding one that mentions more than one variant, but that’s a coincidence and not because the operator was looking for it. For example, the Wikipedia page for the character, which contains both spellings, will show up whether you type “Patroclus” or “Patroklos” with this operator, but it’s looking for different parts of the page. So in the case of pages that don't use both versions, they will only appear if they use the one you are using. In the case of extremely popular figures (e.g., Achilles/Akhilleus), you'll probably be better off not using this operator because both options will come up easily. But for less popular figures like Helenus/Helenos, where using the operator is pretty much essential... well, either do two searches (one for each version) or start noticing which spelling is most commonly used and search with that.

SEARCHING FOR PHRASES: In the case of a phrase (“[phrase]”), be careful because the search will be exactly the same. So if you misspell the phrase, it’s likely to mess up the search. For example, this will happen if you’re trying to find an excerpt from a book, but you misspell it. The search will look for the wrong phrase, so you won’t find the right one. So let’s say I want to search for the phrase “Apollo, Apollo! God of the Ways, my destroyer!” that Cassandra says in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon on line 1085 (trans. Herbert Weir Smith). If I search for that phrase as it is written and in quotation marks, I’ll find results of this translation or quotes of it. But if I misspell it by accidentally adding a letter without realizing it, like in “Apollo, Apollo! God of Wahys, my destroyer!”, Google will tell me that there are no results for that search. Consequently, if you’re looking for a phrase that you don’t remember exactly, this isn’t the best method. The non-operator method (the sentence without quotes) will probably be more effective because it has more leeway.

SUBTRACTION

By writing -[word] at the end of your search, you will exclude results that include that word. Some examples of how to use this in Greek-Roman mythology research:

AVOIDING ADAPTATIONS/RETELLING BECAUSE YOU’RE LOOKING FOR PRIMARY SOURCES: If you’re searching for Antigone and you don't want retellings and adaptations to appear because that isn’t your focus, just add -retelling at the end like Antigone -retelling. If you want to be even more certain, add similarities. If the problem is a specific popular retelling or adaptation, use the specific name of the retelling/adaptation.

REMEMBER THE NAMES SPELLING THING: Again, the variation of names remains. One way to test this, just to give you an idea of ​​what I mean: searching for “Herakles” -Heracles will necessarily result in results that have Herakles, but results with Heracles will be excluded. It doesn't matter if Herakles and Heracles are the same character, as the operator is dealing with the exact word written by you. In this case, it is best to look for the most popular name spelling. For example, Apollo is used more than Apollon, so it makes more sense to use -Apollo because it reduces the number of matches.

IF YOU NEED TO EXCLUDE MORE THAN ONE THING: You also can use this operator multiple times, but whenever it is a different word, add it again, for example: “Atalanta” -Hippomenes -Melanion if you want to see something with Atalanta without including her husband and you want to make sure he doesn't show up by including both different names assigned to the character. It's not just useful for characters with two different names, like Atalanta's husband, or for avoiding characters with different name spelling (like -Neoptolemus -Neoptolemos -Pyrrhus -Pyrrhos to make sure the search doesn't include him, Neoptolemus and Neoptolemos being different spellings of the same name and Pyrhrus being an example of a character with more than one name), but it works for anything. In the first example, I could have written -retelling -adaptation.

PEOPLE WITH CONNECTED NAMES: This is kind of a specific tip, so it's better to use examples rather than explaining! If you're interested in Helenus and don't have to deal with results with Helen, searching for his name with -Helen at the end will probably make your life easier, though it will unfortunately eliminate things that relate to both of them (which is a possibility, as they have contact in myths). If you want something without necessarily excluding Helen, then perhaps the quote mark tip with "Helenus" or "Helenos"  will be more useful. Or let's say your problem isn't mythological characters with similar names that the results tend to confuse, like Helen and Helenus, but rather characters with the same name but from different media, like Hermione of Sparta and Hermione Granger, or Perseus (the gorgon-slayer) and Perseus “Percy” Jackson. Simply eliminate words related to the unwanted media using the operator.

FORMAT

When you type filetype:[format], the search result for the file listed will necessarily appear. So, if I, for example, want to read an analysis of Argonautica in PDF format, I can search for “Argonautica” filetype:pdf and the search results will necessarily show PDF files that contain the word “Argonautica”, often academic articles about the poem or about a character present in it. If you test this exact example right now, you will notice that not all the resulting pages have the PDF indicator, but if you click on them, you will notice that the difference is that they don’t redirect you directly to the PDF, but give you the option to open it or not. Examples of this are sites like JSTOR, Brill, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, which usually first ask you to log in or require you to click the read button before going to the PDF. In any case, it’s still a PDF archive, the operator didn’t fail. 

DATE

Let's suppose you want something from a specific date. Perhaps a necessarily recent article. You can use the operators "before" and "after". If I search "Medea after:2015", only things posted after 2015 will appear. This doesn't necessarily mean the content is from after 2015; after all, it could be a re-upload of an article from 1954, for example, but it makes things easier. The same works with "before", only in reverse (that is, searching for things older than the specified date).

IMPORTANT WARNING

DO NOT separate operators from words. If you search for - Atalanta, the operator will NOT work. It has to be -Atalanta! The same goes for the others! Don’t put spaces between words and the operators! 

Furthermore, these were just a few examples of the operators I commonly use. But in reality, there are many more! You can find online tutorials, such as: 1, 2, 3. There's also Advanced Search, but I haven't explored it here because I imagine that, since it's visible on the screen, you might already be familiar with it. I'm still providing a link just in case, though.

Have you tried the other "versions" of Google?

There's the standard Google, which is the one every Google user has used, but there are other Googles. Generally, Google Maps and Google Images are already relatively well-known, but other types are useful for us here. They are Google Scholar and Google Books! The first is specifically academic, and it's one of our greatest allies. The second is for finding books. Many of the books are paid, but there are books that allow samples, and these samples can be useful. Generally, Google Books is better if you already have something in mind because of this. I'll explain this later when I'm giving examples, but keep that in mind. Another one that I don't usually use much, but is a possibility for visual materials, is Google Arts & Culture.

More: Advanced Search on Scholar Google; Advanced Search on Google Books.

Which websites could you possibly search on?

Here are some specific sites that can help, along with how I usually use them! Note that the explanations here are limited to my own experience with these sites, so I recommend exploring them yourself. There is no specific order; after all, this isn't a "best-to-worst" list, especially since they serve different purposes. A quick note: since some of these sites are primarily maintained by volunteers, they are sometimes susceptible to misinformation — even with review processes — so be cautious. Overall, however, I consider most of them to be good sources for starting your research. 

I’m including even the more casual or obvious ones because I’m trying to be thorough here. So, taking an obvious example: Wikipedia. "Everyone knows that one" or "but Wikipedia has plenty of mistakes"...yes, I know... but there is still value to be gained from it, and that’s the point. You don’t need to dismiss it entirely! You just need to filter the information! The final list will even include sites I don't use all that often (though not all of them…I do use some quite a bit), so I can't necessarily guarantee that they are the best choice at all, but I will still add them because they include topics that might be of interest to you.

Additionally, consider:

Primary sources: original documents. For example, The Iliad is a primary source for literature, mythology, and even ancient Greek customs.

Secondary sources: studies, analyses, interpretations, and summaries based on the original documents. For example, the Cambridge series The Iliad: A Commentary consists of secondary sources that use the primary source The Iliad as their main basis — along with other sources, both primary and secondary — to develop analyses and interpretations.

“In general”: general topics. This could include mythology, literature, archaeology, history, etc.

“On ​​mythology”: specifically about mythology.

“Art-focused”: the focus is on visual sources. This doesn't mean there is absolutely no written content, but it is not the main focus.

“Text-focused”: the focus is on written sources. This doesn't mean there is absolutely no visual content, but it is not the main focus.

“Both texts and art”: there is a balance between visual and written sources.

Try your luck on one of these websites!

Theoi (primary sources on mythology, both texts and art) 

Theoi is a website focused on Greco-Roman mythology. Consequently, its catalog is more limited in the sense that it doesn’t have classical texts that aren’t focused on mythology (referring to, for example, classical texts exclusively on politics). The translations available on it are those allowed by the translator or that are in the public domain, so if you want a very specific translation, you probably won’t find it here (which is why, for example, the site sometimes cites a specific source to state something on a character's page, but that source isn’t available on the website). The site lists which versions are used on this page. They tend to keep the explanatory notes of the editions used. It also has a non-exhaustive index of tragic poets, which makes it easy to find out about them. There is a collection of visual sources here, too.

What I generally prefer to use this site for, in a more personal opinion: finding sources on character pages that compile them, finding images, and using the available translations. On a more specific note, although Frazer's Library translation is available on a lot of sites, I prefer Theoi's formatting when it comes to explanatory notes, and I particularly find the explanatory notes in that edition to be a very useful source for finding sources. And again, being a bit specific, I like the pages of fragments and poets. Regarding character pages, I think it's better to use them as a starting point and search for sources than as something definitive. This is because, as they’re intended to be a guide compilation, they don’t necessarily provide all the context and don’t always include all the surviving sources about the character.

Perseus Digital Library (primary sources in general, mainly texts)

Perseus is a website that offers free access to classical texts. It isn’t a site exclusively about Greco-Roman mythology like Theoi, but naturally, many of the texts are about the subject, given the prominence of the subject in these classical texts. For example, you can read Plato's texts. Here is a list of Greco-Roman texts. Perseus, however, only uses permitted versions, either because the site has the translator's permission or because the translation is in the public domain. Therefore, newer translations that aren’t in the public domain and don’t have specific permission won’t be included. There aren’t only texts in English, but in Latin and Greek as well, and it’s even possible to place them side by side and compare them (option on the right side, click “load”. The "focus" option is to switch between available editions). In the case of editions with explanatory notes, the site tends to include the notes as is the case, for example, with this edition of Ars Amatoria. Perseus not only has texts, but also visual materials such as statues, ceramics, etc. Additionally, there are some other materials besides Greco-Roman for those interested (to a lesser extent, though). 

To help with research, Perseus provides a page with tutorials, explanations, FAQ, etc. Because of the flexibility of the site and the fact that the site itself already provides the necessary explanations, I won’t explain the tools here. But just because I know there's a chance people will ignore this page, let me say something: Perseus also has a tool (the tutorial is on the linked page) that allows you to click on specific words in the Greek or Latin versions of the texts and see their meanings as given in different dictionaries. For example, using this 1920 Greek The Iliad text, I click on the word "Ἀχιλῆος" at the end of the first line, and the result is that I’m redirected to this page, which offers the meanings according to LSJ, Middle Liddell, Slater, and Autenrieth. And so it is possible to know that Ἀχιλῆος is simply Achilles. Anyway, I think I've given a sufficient summary. The Perseus help page + your own exploration will help you clear up any doubts you may have and discover more things I haven't mentioned.

What I generally prefer to use this site for, in a more personal opinion: finding words mentioned in sources on search pages that compile them, using the available translations, using the vocabulary/dictionary tool, and consulting editions in Greek or in Latin. Here is a search tool.

Scaifer Viewer (primary sources in general, text-focused)

Scaifer Viewer has the same catalog as Perseus Library (that is, ancient texts in general and therefore not restricted to mythology), because they’re actually different versions of the same initiative, as stated on the home page: “It is the first phase of work towards the next version of the Perseus Digital Library, Perseus 5.0”. The difference is in the layout of the site, not in the catalog. Personally, I consider this difference justifiable enough to make me use both sites, despite containing the same texts, because for certain things Scaifer is more intuitive, and for others I prefer the familiarity of Perseus. Also, if your Perseus server goes down (something that is becoming increasingly common, perhaps precisely because of this ongoing update), you always have the option of using Scaifer to search the same source.

The site has two main search options: Browse Library and Text Search. Clicking on the first one will take you to a page with the authors available on the site, and if you click on the symbol next to their names, the editions of their available texts will appear. In other words, it is, as the name suggests, a library. This method is most advantageous when you are looking for a specific source, but it's not the best if you're looking for a word/character/theme. The second option is to search for words in all the sources available on the site, including the Greek and Latin editions. However, from what I have noticed, it searches exactly for the word you searched for. So, for example, if I search for “Antigone”, the texts in English and Latin will appear (not in Greek, since that isn’t how the name Antigone is written in Greek) and, if a source mentions her without directly using the name, that source won’t appear. By using commas, you can include other names and words. Let's say I specifically want to see texts that include the myth of Medea as Theseus' stepmother, I'll have better luck finding these sources by using "Medea, Theseus", rather than searching through all the sources for Medea and Theseus individually. I reiterate that it isn’t just with names, but words in general, for example, "Iphigenia, priestess".

Topos Text  (primary sources in general)

It's a similar idea to Perseus Library and Scaifer Viewer, in my opinion, so I don't think it requires much further explanation. You can check the list of texts here and the list of figures (both real and mythological) here. You can search here, but I prefer to do it via Google. For example, this is the result for Cassandra using the search tool. But if I search for “Cassandra Topos Text” on Google and click the first link, this is the page that appears.

Some interesting features include a cross-tagging system (meaning that when reading a source that mentions a place, person, or character, the name will be marked with a link that will take you to other mentions of it) and a map.

The Center for Hellenic Studies (Harvard) (primary and secondary sources in general, text-focused)

Although the site has translations of primary sources available, I personally find its academic purpose more appealing. That is, the books and articles available that seek to analyze and study primary sources. There is a library with books available for free online, if you’re interested. Another advantage is that, since they usually make the books available in text format for the site instead of just the translation itself, they sometimes offer introductions and extra context, something that is often not included on other sites. For example, compare this same edition of Philostratus’ Heroica translated by Ellen Bradshaw Aitken and Jennifer K. Berenson Maclean by accessing the versions on Harvard and ToposText.

LIMC (primary and secondary, art-focused)

LIMC is used quite frequently in academic citations that I've seen, so I'm aware of its existence. Basically, the Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (LIMC) is a site specifically focused on Greek, Roman, and Etruscan visual sources and other arts related to this subject. As with texts, only images that have been authorized are available for viewing online. So if, for example, a museum doesn’t allow an artifact to be displayed, you won’t be able to find it on LIMC. Personally, I’m not yet very familiar with the site's search system, so I won't be able to explain it too much. But just in case an example might make things easier to understand, here is a search for the name Briseis on LIMC Digital (in the search superior bar). As is notable, the site lists things like date, type, material used, authorship, what institution it is in, description of the scene, list of characters included, etc. In some cases, if the image doesn’t appear immediately, clicking the blue number next to "scene" will redirect you to the page with the image. In other cases, the image is simply not available for viewing on the site, only the information about it (e.g., date, description, etc) is displayed. Not everything is in English, a considerable amount of the descriptions and titles are, for example, in French and German. The images aren’t exclusively ancient, there are also medieval and contemporary ones, for example. And considering the tendency of some artists to imitate the classical style, especially in statues, I really advise you to check the dates before assuming that it is necessarily super old.

What I generally prefer to use this site for, in a more personal opinion: well… look for visual sources. I’m still learning how to use the site better, but one problem is that it can be a bit disorganized at times. It is, on the other hand, a good starting point, considering the large collection. Again, I reiterate that it is really important to check the dates because these aren’t exclusively ancient Greek, Roman, and Etruscan sources, but rather related art. The LIMC online version, however, is less informative than the LIMC book, in my experience. The book contains more descriptive explanations, and is also useful for finding literary sources and providing more detailed theories on how to connect visual sources with myths. It doesn’t, however, show all the images, but rather catalogs them and, in some cases, shows images. If you don't know German (like me!), the LIMC book is most useful if you already know what to search for because you can go to the character's name, extract specific parts, and translate them (if you don’t know the language of the passage).

JSTOR (primary and secondary sources on general, both texts and art)

I use this one to find academic articles that are available for free access, and in some cases, even books or chapters of books. In some cases, although the content is available on the site, it won't necessarily be free, or you'll need a specific college membership, but the collection of accessible essays is significant. Many academics make their own texts available for access in this post, so there's a good amount. In the case of books with multiple authors, there is a chance that you will find only some chapters available as individual articles because not all authors wanted to publish their chapters, so only those of those who wanted to share on JSTOR are published. You need a login and there's a monthly limit, but the limit is so high (I think 100... I'm not sure, I've never come close to reaching the limit) that, honestly, I think it's unlikely to bother you. There are also visual materials, not just texts. Although I use this for secondary sources, there are primary sources as well. 

I find this site quite intuitive, so I won't explain. But if you have any doubts, I recommend scrolling to the bottom of the site, as you will find explanations, tutorials, advanced search tools, etc., there.

Academia.edu

Honestly? Kind of the same function as JSTOR.  Even the details mentioned on JSTOR are similar here.

Wikipedia (primary and secondary sources, both texts and art)

Listing Wikipedia here to say: it is true that information as it is written isn’t always reliable, but checking the sources on the page is a good idea. Often, there are primary and secondary sources, and in this sense, I consider Wikipedia a good starting point. Additionally, Wikimedia Commons can be useful for visual materials, especially if you read the artwork information and search from there (for example, the specific item number). Consider checking Wikisource as well, for texts whose distribution is permitted!

Also, if you’re in the habit of looking for translations from the ones listed on the English Wikipedia site, but you come across situations where a particular edition isn’t easily available to the public online for free, consider checking out the translations list of Wikipedia in another language that you’re familiar with. In particular, when I come across situations where some sources have a scarce edition(s) in English and none are really accessible, I tend to look for translated Spanish editions on the other Wikipedia to see if any of those are easier to access.  

Anthologia Graeca (a specific primary source, text-focused)

Anthologia Graeca is… well, a site focused on the book Greek Anthology. Although the editions translated by W.R. Paton are available on ToposText, this specific site is particularly well organized. This is because ToposText wants to provide access to authorized editions of classics without there being a proposed system around an edition, but rather a general system, but Anthologia Graeca is specifically focused on the Greek Anthology.

Therefore, we have the following ways of organizing/searching the epigrams in the anthology: the book (e.g., Book 1) and parts of the book (e.g, 1.2); identified authors of the epigrams, with the anonymous epigrams all grouped under “anonymous” at the end of the page; cities associated with the epigrams in some way, although only in the cases of the epigrams that make such associations. Epigrams that have no relation to any specific location don’t receive this type of classification; various other factors like collections, deities, epithets, etc.

This website is available in the following languages: Latin, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Mandarin Chinese. Therefore, if any of these is a language you know better than English and would prefer to use, that option is available (for example, Portuguese is my native language and I use the website in Portuguese)! The chosen language alters the website itself, but not the content. That is, not the translations of the epigrams. While Topos Text provides Paton's edition, Anthologia Graeca provides different editions in different languages. The number of editions available allows you to view the same epigram in different languages ​​and even compare two editions side-by-side. An example is Epigram 7.1, which is available in Greek, Italian, French, English, and Latin (with 3 different Italian translations available). The number of translations available varies depending on the epigram.

If you have more questions, there is a page teaching you how to use the site.

Gantz Myth Sources (primary sources on mythology, both texts and art)

There's not much mystery to it. It's basically a website that compiles the primary sources used for the book "Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources" by Timothy Gantz, which in itself is a source I highly recommend!

BONUS: There won't be a specific section for this, so I'll add it here. Another good comprehensive book for researching versions of myths is "The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology" by Robin Hard. Another piece of advice is to try looking at books with titles like "Handbook" for a broader overview, which may not be as specific as you want, but can help you get an idea of ​​where to look. Oxford, for example, has The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Mythography, The Oxford Handbook of Greek Cities in the Roman Empire, The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Comedy, The Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage, etc. Here are some examples of Oxford Handbooks to give you an idea of ​​what I mean.

The Beazley Archive

This is a site for visual sources. It tends to be comprehensive, featuring information such as photos, authorship, descriptions, inscriptions, context, secondary sources, and so on. You can find educational resources, which I recommend exploring on your own, but one feature I really like is the search system. The system is even better if you already have an idea of ​​what you're looking for (especially the advanced search, in this case), but it's also good for making discoveries.

Consider institutional websites!

Published magazines and books are a good idea, but what about theses? Someone has already done the work, and you just need to read it. Even with theses you disagree with, they are at least required to provide sources. Why not check the sources cited there? I myself have read interpretations I disagreed with (some of which I even found kind of absurd), but the selection of sources was at least useful for reading and reaffirming my own perspective, independent of the lens of that specific thesis. And in any case, high-quality theses that make you think they were approved for a reason do exist, so there is a gold mine waiting to be explored. 

Some examples of how to search for theses in English: University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Harvard, University of Georgia, University of Virginia.

Also, consider searching museum websites. Many of them have collections that you can access online, with information that might be what you're looking for. Some examples (not all, of course) are: British Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Louvre.

Keep exploring!

Of course, these are just a few sites. It's also important to keep giving other sites a chance! Below, I'll list some more sites that I use (which I won't detail because the post is already long), and I've even included sites that I didn't use to create any of my blogs, but that I occasionally visit out of curiosity, because they might have topics of interest to you. 

Anyway, I always recommend you explore beyond those mentioned here! You might find something I didn't, after all.

Attalus - “This site contains detailed lists of events and sources for the history of the Hellenistic world and the Roman Republic. It includes links to online translations of many of the sources, as well as new translations of some works which have not previously been easily available in English.”

The Ancient Graffiti Project (AGP) - “Welcome to The Ancient Graffiti Project, a digital resource for locating and studying handwritten inscriptions of the early Roman empire. These ancient messages and sketches offer a window into the daily life and interests of the people who lived in the ancient world, especially in Herculaneum and Pompeii. They provide perspectives on Roman society, the ancient economy, religion, spoken language, literacy, and activities within the ancient city.”

LacusCurtius - “Graeco‑Roman antiquity in some detail. It includes a photosampler of Roman and Etruscan cities and monuments — with a very large site on the city of Rome of course; many complete Latin and Greek texts, usually in English translation as well; Rodolfo Lanciani's book Pagan and Christian Rome, Christian Hülsen's book on the Roman Forum, Bury's 2‑volume History of the Later Roman Empire, Bevan's House of Ptolemy, 4 books on Roman Britain, George Dennis's Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria; Platner and Ashby's Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome (nearly complete) and most of Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities; about 45% of Plutarch's Moralia; a quick sketch of a site for teaching yourself to read Latin inscriptions; some maps of the Roman Empire, and more.”

Beyond Translation - Used to check primary sources and their translations, in a way that allows you to see specific words. This site is part of the same project as Perseus Library and Scaifer Viewer, and you can see more here and here.

Project Gunterbeg - “Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them, or read them online. You will find the world's great literature here, with a focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for you to enjoy”.

Open Edition - “OpenEdition brings together four platforms dedicated to electronic resources in the humanities and social sciences.”

Pompeii in Pictures - “The content of our web sites is regularly being updated with new excavations, villas, tombs, areas and information being added.”

Euripides Scholia: An Open-Access Online Edition - “This is part of a long-term project to provide an expandable and correctable open-access presentation of the Greek annotations found in ancient and medieval manuscripts of Euripides (or assembled separately from the text of the dramas)”. Note that the intention is not to cover the entirety of Euripides' scholia, but only parts of it. For the most part, the focus is on the scholia on the play Orestes.

eScholarship - “eScholarship® provides scholarly publishing and repository services that enable departments, research units, publishing programs, and individual scholars associated with the University of California to have direct control over the creation and dissemination of the full range of their scholarship.” I particularly recommend searching outside of the website. For example, searching "eScholarship scholia" on Google.

Suda On Line: Byzantine Lexicography (SOL) - “The Suda (or Stronghold): a massive 10th century Byzantine Greek historical encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, covering the whole of Greek and Roman antiquity and also including Biblical and Christian material. [...] The Suda On Line (SOL) project, begun in 1998 as part of the Stoa Consortium, opens up this stronghold of information by means of a freely accessible, keyword-searchable database, with English translations, notes, bibliography, and links to other electronic resources.”

EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History, Selected Transcriptions, Facsimiles and Translations - “These open access sources are readily available to all -- without fees or subscriptions. Links connect to European primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated. In addition you will find video or sound files, maps, photographs, or other imagery, databases, and other documentation. The sources cover a broad range of historical happenings (political, economic, social and cultural).” Here are links to "Greece: Ancient and Classical", "Greece: Hellenistic and Roman Periods" and "Italy: Prehistory and the Roman Empire".

Livius: Articles on Ancient History - “The Livius.org website offers information on ancient history. There are currently 4381 pages. You will also find more than 10,700 original illustrations. You can search to find what you are looking for or browse through the articles using categories or tags; the articles listed after the map are just the most recent ones.”

Diotíma - “Welcome to Diotíma (v. 3.0), a resource for information on women, gender, sex, sexualities, race, ethnicity, class, status, masculinity, enslavement, disability, and the intersections among them in the ancient Mediterranean world.”

Attic Vase Inscriptions (AVI) - “AVI (Attic Vase Inscriptions / Attische Vaseninschriften) is an extended and web-based continuation and development of Henry R. Immerwahr's CAVI (Corpus of Attic Vase Inscriptions). AVI's main part is the interactive database, which is now available in a more developed version. We also provide informations about the project's prehistory (by Henry Immerwahr), protohistory, and present and future aims, bibliography (more than 3000 titles), as well as some texts on alphabets and phonology of the Attic dialect.”

Poetry in Translation: The Open Access Poetry Archive - “Our policy is that of providing open access, downloadable texts, free for non-commercial reuse. All of our texts are human-authored or translated.”

Setentiae Antiquae - “Through this blog, and the accompanying Twitter feed (@sentantiq), we aim to bring you some of the most famous (and also most confounding) quotations from the ancient world. In addition, we also take pleasure in shining lights on some of the forgotten shelves and corners of classical heritage. You’ll find tidbits from the Archaic Age in Greece all the way through imperial Rome and up through the fall of Byzantium. By Jove, if there is something somewhat classically oriented later than that, you might find it too”.

Ancient Greek Language on the Web: A Critical Survey of Websites - “Welcome to Ancient Greek language on the Web. This popular electronic gateway offers links to websites devoted to Ancient Greek linguistics. The site does not include nor discuss printed resources (for digitized resources, see Textkit). “

Greek & Roman Civilisation: Getting Started - It has resources, including online ones, on the topic.

Electronic Resources for Classicists - The name is self-explanatory.

Greek and Roman Studies - Resources shared by Hofstra University!

Is there any other tip to consider?

There always is, so let's go!

Do you want to search for specific words on a website or in a document? Consider this popular shortcut!

This is a kind of basic tip (most people I know are already familiar with this Windows shortcut), but I’m sharing it anyway because I’ve met people who didn’t know about it. Do you know what Ctrl + F does? If so, feel free to skip this. If not, read on! Believe me, knowing this will save you time!

Ctrl + F is a search shortcut. It opens a small search bar in the corner of the screen (in my experience, the top right corner) where you type the term you’re looking for. Once you do it, every instance of that term in the text is easy to spot. But remember: it is very sensitive to exactly how you type. If you don’t type the word exactly as it appears in the text, there won’t be a match. It also takes punctuation and spaces into account. Searching for " sun", "sun", "sun ", "sun.", “; sun”, or "sun!" are different things. See more here!

If you use a Mac, the equivalent shortcut is Cmd + F. See here! 

You want to copy a text excerpt, but the format doesn't allow it…consider using transcription sites!

Sometimes you want to copy a passage, but it is…a hassle. Sometimes, the text is unfortunately part of an image or a screenshot. Sometimes, the document format makes copying difficult: the text won't copy (you try to copy, but you can't even select the text), it copies with messy formatting (to the point where having to reformat it is kind of annoying), or it copies incorrectly (e.g., some words appear as symbols). Sometimes the copy is okay, but there is a word or phrase using a different alphabet, and that specific word or phrase causes problems (for example, a word in Greek, if you don't use the Greek alphabet. And since we're talking about research focused on ancient Greece and Rome, that is a real possibility).

All of this doesn't stop you from reading and understanding what's written, but if you want to research that passage, save it in your research document, or cite it in your own work or post, having to retype it yourself is a pretty discouraging process. Well, fortunately, free online transcription tools exist! Just search for Image Transcription or Photo Transcription! 

Consider starting with the macro level before moving on to the micro level!

I know it is natural to be in a rush to get to the point, but sometimes you have to admit that you lack the necessary knowledge to find sources right away. Therefore, consider starting by reading more general texts and using them to delve deeper into specific topics.

Handbooks, guides, and encyclopedias might not offer a highly detailed approach, given the nature of such texts (which cover a wide range of topics and must therefore remain relatively superficial to encompass them all), but they do offer a great advantage: they gather sources for you in a single place. For example, regarding Greco-Roman literature, books such as Timothy Gantz’s Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, Robin Hard’s The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology, Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Comedy, Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Mythography, and the Routledge Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World series are good choices, though certainly not the only ones.

But this isn't necessarily about literature. Look, for example, at how Oxford has various handbooks about Ancient Greece and Rome: Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage, The Oxford Handbook of Roman Studies, Oxford Handbook Of Greek Cities In The Roman Empire, The Oxford Handbook Of Ancient Greek Religion, Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Art and Architecture, Oxford Handbook Of Roman Philosophy, Oxford Handbook of Roman Imagery and Iconography, etc. In the case of Oxford, they actually even have a website focused on their handbooks. Here are the ones about Greece and the ones about Rome.

I’m using Oxford as an example because I’ve noticed their handbooks are famous. But are they the only ones? No, of course not. These are just examples. 

Even if your native language generally doesn't help much with results in this research area, consider paying attention to your native language as well!

This is a piece of advice for people whose native languages ​​aren't usually very "useful" when it comes to ancient Greece and Rome, but I'll leave it here anyway. If you don't know the original source languages and your native language isn't English, German, or French (the languages ​​most commonly associated with translations and scholarship), it is very common to completely overlook your native language when doing research. You might think “well, I'm much more likely to find something in English". And yes, that is true in many cases! Honestly, I usually search in English too. But even so, avoid completely dismissing the advantage of being able to read in more than one language! I mean, it just gives you more opportunities to check things out! And in the case of primary sources, sometimes it’s more comfortable to read in the language you’re most used to, isn’t it?

In addition to the officially published translations, consider checking out the websites available in your native language! In this case, I particularly recommend that you look for sites of universities that offer courses that study classics, history, archeology, etc, as there is a chance you will find theses and dissertations made available for free public access. 

Furthermore, some of these theses are actually translations + analyses, so if you can't find a translation officially published by a publisher, consider those done by university students as an option! In the case of Brazil, an example is the translation + analysis of Euripides' Andromache by Priscila Buse (Universidade Federal do Paraná). It is also good for finding translations and theories of more obscure fragments and texts! Some Brazilian examples are Euripides' Andromeda translated by C.L. Crepaldi (Universidade Federal da Bahia) and the text of the First Vatican Mythographer translated by Ana Paula Silva (Universidade Federal da Bahia). None of these texts is officially published in Brazil in a specific edition, but I found them thanks to these universities!

Here are some options if you understand Portuguese to exemplify what I'm talking about: Repositório Institucional da UnB (site universitário), Repositório Institucional da UFBA (site universitário). 

If you find it difficult to search on the websites directly, you can always search on Google for the subject + name of the institution. For example: Electra UnB.  I

There are also independent sites that can be useful, such as Graecia Antiqua for general consultations or O Codice for translated sources. And well, the more help, the better, right?

Regardless of your native language, consider other languages ​​if possible!

This advice is for people who are at least somewhat bilingual, but here it is. Don't overlook any languages ​​you can understand, even if you aren't 100% fluent!

In my case, it’s Spanish! I’m not fluent in Spanish (for example, I probably wouldn't understand much if I listened to a lecture in Spanish), but thanks to its similarities to Portuguese and other exposures to Spanish I had, reading texts in Spanish is a viable option for me. And well, Spanish is more widely spoken than Portuguese, so, if I’m out of luck with sources in English (usually because they aren't accessible) or Portuguese (whether due to lack of access or because translations simply don't exist yet), why not try my luck with Spanish? That’s how I got access to fragments of Sophocles when I couldn't find them easily in either Portuguese or English. So yeah, thanks, Spanish language, I'm so glad I remembered you!

Like, remember that being able to read in multiple languages ​​is an advantage! Why waste it? This advice holds true even if your native language is already very useful for this type of research. An example: English is your native language, and you might feel you don't need to research using other languages ​​because yours already offers plenty of access…but hey, you’re bilingual! You can actually read French, too! Why not give it a try? There are things in French that don’t exist in English, even if you can already find plenty of material in English. Every tool is a tool, even if you don’t realize at first that you have it.

You don't know this language, but someone you know does... consider asking!

This is a piece of advice that depends on your inner circle and online community, but I’m going to share it anyway. Do you have friends, online mutuals, family members, colleagues, whatever, who speak a language you don't and would be willing to help you out? Why not ask for help?

Let's say there’s a German encyclopedia containing really useful information that keeps getting cited in studies, but it’s a shame you don’t speak German and don’t find the available automatic translators very reliable. But what a coincidence! You happen to know someone who speaks German, whether they’re a native speaker or have learned it! And you know they’re the kind of person who wouldn’t mind lending a hand. That’s great, right? Try your luck! Just be polite and don't act as if it's their obligation; after all, they are gently doing you a favor.

Of course, I’m not talking about super-long texts because, in my opinion, it would be a bit odd to expect someone to devote that much time and effort to reading and summarizing the “general idea” for you, but what about the little things? A single dictionary or Wikipedia entry isn't a big deal, a brief caption under a photo isn't a big deal, a paragraph or two from an article isn't a big deal. The times I asked for help of this kind, it really helped.

You don't know the language and have no one to ask... you might have to improvise! Consider this improvised method as a possibility!

So, you need something available in a language you don’t speak and, unfortunately, you don't know anyone to help you either. Well, you’ll have to improvise. It’s a less reliable method (since translation is a delicate task requiring a great deal of expertise, which this approach unfortunately lacks), but it serves more as a stopgap option than a definitive solution.

For example, years ago, I was interested in the cult of Achilles Pontarches, and a specific reference kept popping up in various academic articles and books, so I decided to look into it. Luckily, I found it on Wikipedia! Unfortunately, however, it was in German, and I couldn't find any available translations. I don’t speak German, nor do I know anyone who does. Perhaps I should have simply accepted that language barrier and stopped there, but the thing was: the text seemed incredibly important. So, having established that I couldn't just ignore it, what did I do?

STEP ONE: get the original text (in this example, the German text).

To do this, I accessed the file on Wikipedia. Then, I used the Snipping Tool to take screenshots of the referenced sections. After that, I fed the text into an online transcription tool (depending on the text and the language, it might be better to transcribe in parts rather than all at once; I noticed, for example, that transcription tools handle Ancient Greek more accurately when there is less text to read in the image). Once the result was ready, I copied it. There it is! 

STEP TWO: use automatic translators to take a shortcut.

For this part, I put the German text into various translation sites and compared the results. Then, using the same sites, I tried specific passages rather than long, complete sections because, for some reason unknown to me, online translators sometimes do a better job with shorter texts.

I chose to translate into English because, at least in my personal experience, online translators tend to translate other languages ​​into English better than into Portuguese. But, well, I don't know if that's the case for other languages.

THIRD STEP: analyze the provided translation.

Now, compare all these machine translations, taking into account the different websites used and the varying lengths of the translated segments. Notice which parts tend to be translated in a standardized way and which ones have more variation depending on the method.

Next, focus on those parts that tend to vary. Search online dictionaries and language-learning forums to look up the individual meanings of the words. You will end up with an extremely literal version of the passage. Using this literal version, you’ll apply your own reasoning, considering the text's context (subject matter, time period, country, etc), to deduce which dynamic translation is most likely to capture the correct “essence”. The goal here isn't a 100% faithful translation, but rather to grasp the text's core idea. After all, you aren't trying to be a professional translator, you are simply trying to gather information.

Finally, to be more certain, look at academic articles that discuss the passage. Although these articles often don’t translate the passage itself (after all, if they had, you wouldn't need to go through this whole process), they reference information from it and offer interpretations. Consider whether your findings align with what the academic who cited the text said! Ideally, consult more than one academic because that way, you can be sure there isn't too much bias. In my case, the details I discovered (the location of the cult, its visual elements, specific inscriptions, etc) appeared in both my own rough, improvised translation and in multiple academic articles, so I concluded that this was indeed the correct interpretation.

ADDENDUMS

a) Why note consistent parts and fluid parts?

In my experience, the parts that tend to remain unchanged are usually correct, though this isn’t an absolute rule. That is why I suggested focusing on the fluid parts if you feel the need to do further checks.

I tried testing this by translating Portuguese texts into English and Spanish, as I could be more certain of the results given my familiarity with these languages, which makes it easier to spot misunderstandings. Indeed, the parts of the text that the machine translators got consistently tended to align with the meaning of the Portuguese original, whereas the parts that varied more easily tended to be less reliable. This was usually due to differences in sentence structure between the languages ​​(notably, Spanish was less problematic in this regard, precisely because its structure is very similar to Portuguese; conversely, English, with its distinct features regarding gender, pronouns, and phrasing, was harder to translate accurately via machine) or the use of slang and idioms.

In the end, it’s just my experience, and I can’t claim it’s a fact. But this is a post about how >I< do research and not how certified scientists do it…and, well, this is how I do it.

b) Is it reliable?

Not entirely. Ultimately, language is complex… if even a knowledgeable person can make mistakes, a l umprovised method by a layperson certainly can too! Automated translators lack the necessary human insight (they don't grasp context the way people do), dictionaries can be overly concise (they don't always list every possible translation for a word, especially within a specific phrasing), and literal translations fail to account for subjective nuances (language is subjective, so trying to treat it objectively is rarely the best approach).

That is why I recommend it primarily for cases of extreme necessity (when there is truly no other option), when you can cross-reference with human content (such as articles that explain the passage, giving you a human interpretation), and when the goal is to grasp the general idea of ​​the text rather than translate it word-for-word. I also find it less suitable for literary texts, as they often contain nuances that this type of translation fails to capture. It works best with non-fiction sources — such as encyclopedias or academic articles — since these tend to use language more neutrally in comparison to literary texts.

Exemplifying