YCCC: Western Civilization, Antiquity to 1715: Getting Started

Getting started on your Western Civilization, Antiquity to 1715 research

Encyclopedia articles are a great way to gather background information as you begin your research.

Once you have a good encyclopedia article, use the tabs across the top of the guide to find books, articles, and web pages in this subject area. The Cite Your Sources tab will help you to properly cite the resources you find.

As always, if your research is taking too long or you have questions use the Ask Us button on the right hand side of this page to contact your Librarians for further assistance.

Find encyclopedia articles online

A great place to look for background information
Preferred over Wikipedia articles by your instructors
Comes with properly formatted citations for your bibliography!

Find background information with encyclopedia articles from CREDO

Mind Maps from Credo Reference, on the top-right side of the page will give you a quick overview of these historical eras and lead you to even more high-quality resources.

The Stone Age
The earliest known period of human culture, characterized by the use of stone tools. The Stone Age is divided into the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods.
The Bronze Age
The period in the history of humankind, between about 3000 and 1000 BC, when tools, weapons, etc were made out of bronze.
The Iron Age
The period following the Bronze Age and beginning at about 1200 BC when weapons and tools were made of iron.
Ancient Mesopotamia
Ancient Greece
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Rome
The Middle Ages
The period from the end of classical antiquity in 476 AD to the Italian Renaissance in 1453.
The Renaissance
The revival of arts and letters in the 14th century which formed the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern world.

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Primary Sources in World History

Western Civilization, 1715 to the present

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