Ancient History

The STLCC Library Catalog is your gateway to finding all items, including books, which the College Libraries own. 

The two basic methods for searching the catalog are by keyword and by LC subject heading.  Most library users are not familiar with the official Library of Congress (LC) subject headings, so it's often a good idea to begin with a keyword search. Results of a keyword search can lead to appropriate subject headings.  Ask a reference librarian for help with subject searching.

Every item owned by an STLCC library is listed in the College's Library Catalog.  Each listing is called a record.  A powerful way to search for books on a particular topic is to perform a keyword search, which looks for records containing the words you use in your search.

 Example keyword search: sumer

• This search will find all records in the STLCC catalog which somewhere contain the word sumer.  
• Records normally include a book's title and author, as well as descriptions of its subject matter.  In addition, a record may include a book's chapter headings or a summary of its contents. 
• Therefore this search will retrieve all records with sumer in any of these areas.

 Narrowing your search with and.  Example keyword search: sumer and writing

• This search will find all records in the STLCC catalog which somewhere contain both the word sumer and the word writing.
• By using and between keywords, you've specified that all of your keywords must be present in the record for it to appear in your results.  
• One major reason to use and is that it lets you narrow broad searches (Sumer) to more specific topics (writing in Sumer).

Using truncation.  Example keyword search: sumer* and writing

• Using an asterisk at the end of a keyword is called truncation, and lets you search for word variations.
• This example search will find all records in the STLCC catalog which somewhere contain both the word writing and any words beginning with sumer such as sumer, sumerian, or sumerians.
• Truncation saves you time by letting you search for multiple word variations via a single search.

Library of Congress (LC) subject headings are special, standardized words and phrases which describe the primary subject(s) on which a book focuses.  Searching by subject heading rather than by keyword often allows you to look for books on a particular topic more efficiently. 

Since LC subject headings are included in a book's catalog record, looking at the records you get from a keyword search can help you identify appropriate subject headings. Ask A Librarian for help with LC subject searching.

Below are just a few examples of subject headings you will find in the STLCC Catalog. Dates appearing in history subject headings usually reflect significant historical events.

China -- History -- Qin dynasty, 221-207 B.C.
(Note: the Qin Dynasty existed during the years shown in the subject heading.) 

Egypt -- History -- To 332 B.C. 
(Note: In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt.)

Greece -- Civilization -- To 146 B.C.
(Note: In 146 BC, Rome began its supervision of Greece.) 

History, Ancient

Rome -- History