Selected Readings

These annotated publications have been recommended by the Education staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as useful resources for the general public, K–12 teachers, and college students.

print resources, bibliography, general reading, further reading, research, books


African Art	Byzantine Art	Greek and Roman Art	Photography

Ancient American Art	Colonial Art of the Americas	Islamic Art	Prehistory

Ancient Near Eastern Art	Costume	Modern and Contemporary Art	United States, Arts of

Arms and Armor	Egyptian Art	Musical Instruments

Asian Art	European Art	Oceania, Arts of	General Information

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Thematic Essays

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Lists of Rulers

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Selected Readings

Byzantine Art

Bowersock, G. W., et al., eds. Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, 1999.
The eleven essays and more than 500 encyclopedic entries in this fascinating book present a comprehensive yet readable guide to late antiquity, from the years 250 to 800, a period that led to the formulation of many institutions and ideas that shape our current world. Includes an index, bibliographic references, and color illustrations.
Cavallo, Guglielmo, ed. The Byzantines. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.
The lives of ordinary Byzantines, e.g., peasants, soldiers, teachers, and others, are presented as composite portraits in remarkable and fascinating detail. Includes an index and bibliographies.
Cormack, Robin. Byzantine Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Professor Cormack's chronological study of Byzantine art also traces the cultural history of Byzantium. The prolific and diverse works of art created during this span of more than 1200 years are well documented here. Includes many illustrations, a timeline, glossary, and bibliographical references.
Evans, Helen C., and William D. Wixom, eds. The Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843–1261. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997.
Fifty-nine scholars contributed to this catalogue for the groundbreaking exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum. Works from twenty-four countries illustrate the importance of art when Byzantine Orthodoxy spread across Eastern Europe. The catalogue examines the relations and cultural exchanges between Byzantium, the Islamic East, and the Latin West. Includes generous illustrations, a bibliography, glossary, and index.
Evans, Helen C., ed. Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261–1557). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.
The monumental exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in 2004 recognized the thriving creativity and flourishing intellectual life of the late Byzantine era. The lasting legacy of the Byzantines is apparent in this exhibition catalogue. Many detailed photographs, a thirty-three-page bibliography, a glossary, and an index make this catalogue an outstanding addition to the literature on this period.
Mathews, Thomas F. Byzantium: From Antiquity to the Renaissance. New York: Abrams, 1998.
Mathews has written a readable survey placing Byzantine art within its broad cultural and historical context. Numerous illustrations, maps, a timeline, bibliography, and index enhance the text.

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