How do I find primary sources for people living in ancient times?
Answer
Finding primary sources about people living in ancient times can be a fascinating, yet time-consuming endeavor. To start, check out some of the resources available on the "Primary Sources" tab of our Ancient Near East research guide linked here: Ancient Near East Research Guide Link.
It can be helpful to locate a particular person or event first before you start looking for primary sources. For example, if you are looking for primary sources about classical medicine, it might be easier to search for primary sources related to Galen, a particular practitioner of the time.
Consider that ancient primary sources are often housed in libraries, museums, and archives, some of which have been digitized and put online. To find digitized sources about a topic it can be useful to search using the words "digital archive." For example, you might try searching "classical medicine" AND "digital archive" to get materials that have been made available online.
For additional help, make a research appointment with our History Librarian on the library's homepage.