Oxford Classical Dictionary
Encyclopedia
Overview
The Oxford Classical Dictionary (OCD) is considered to be the standard one-volume encyclopaedia in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
of topics relating to the Ancient World and its civilizations. It was first published in 1949, edited by Max Cary with the assistance of H. J. Rose, H. P. Harvey, and A. Souter. A second edition followed in 1970, edited by Nicholas G. L. Hammond and H. H. Scullard, and a third edition in 1996, edited by Simon Hornblower
Simon Hornblower
Simon Hornblower is Professor of Classics and Ancient History in the University of Oxford and Senior Research Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.-Biography:...
and Antony Spawforth, which in its revised form (2003) is the current edition in print (2011). A fourth edition, which appears to be a revised version of the third revised edition, is expected to be published on March 2012.
The OCD's 6,000 articles cover everything from the daily life of the ancient Greeks and Romans to their geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, and their historical figures. The OCD includes comprehensive references to sources and recent scholarly publications.
Digital and on-line availability
The third revised edition of OCD is available online for members of subscribed institutions either via Oxford Digital Reference Shelf, or via Oxford Reference Online Premium.The third edition (1996) was also available on CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, but it was partially incompatible with more recent versions of Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and has not been revised or re-released. The Third edition is also available from InteLex Corporation via Web access but no longer on CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
(the InteLex version was compatible with all Windows operating systems).
Varia
A copy of the OCD has traditionally been offered by the National Latin ExaminationNational Latin Examination
The National Latin Exam is a worldwide test given to Latin students. Sponsored by the U.S.-based American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League, the exam was given to about 150,000 or so students in the U.S., Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New...
as a prize for students who obtain four consecutive ascending gold medals on the exam.
See also
- Pauly-WissowaPauly-WissowaThe Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft, commonly called the Pauly–Wissowa or simply RE, is a German encyclopedia of classical scholarship. With its supplements it comprises over eighty volumes....
, the comprehensive multivolume classical encyclopedia, published in German and English.
External links
- Oxford catalog entry for OCD
- Oxford University Press UK, catalogue entry for the fourth edition of OCD
- Amazon.co.uk's catalogue entry for the fourth edition of OCD
- Fourth edition ISBN 13: 978-0199545568
- Third revised edition ISBN 13: 978-0198606413
- Abridged edition Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization ISBN 0-19-860165-4 (hbHardcoverA hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
), ISBN 0-19-860958-2 (pbPaperbackPaperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
)