CLASSICS 308 / JEWISH 432: Sex and Violence in the Ancient Near East (Fall 2025) : Books

You can find books and eBooks in the UW-Madison Libraries (and the libraries of the entire UW System!) by searching the Library Catalog. 

Some tips for searching:

• For a simple search, enter search terms (for example, women AND Ancient Israel) in the Keywords box and click Enter on your keyboard to start your search.
• Refine your search by using the drop-downs at the top of the page under Refined By (for example, Libraries, Subjects, Languages)
• Click on the title of any works that interest you.  If it is a print book, note the library and call number listed under "Physical Location." If it is an electronic book, look for the "View Online" button on the right side of the screen.
• If the book is in Memorial Library, use the stack guide find floor and stack area for finding the book on the shelf. 
• Using Advanced Search provides more options, such as the ability to search by publication year or series, or to limit searches by format. 

If you are unable to find or access a book at UW-Madison, you may request a copy from a UW System campus.  If neither UW-Madison nor UW System has the book, you may request the book through a library service known as Interlibrary Loan. 

• Information about How to Request Books

Sometimes, it is useful to browse physical books for more information on a topic. Because the books in Memorial Library are organized by subject, a book that is relevant to your research is very likely surrounded by other relevant books.

The list below shows the call number ranges for topics that will likely be of interest to students in your class. All books starting with these letters and numbers will be related to the following topics:

• BL: General Religion and Theology, including Comparative Mythology (BL300 through BL325) and Classical (Greek/Roman) Religion (BL700 through BL820)
• BM: Judaism
• BR: Christianity
• BS: The Bible and Biblical Studies, including works of Criticism and Interpretation (BS500 through BS534.8) 
• D51 through D90: Ancient History
• DE: History of the Greco-Roman World

Many of UW-Madison's books are available electronically. When searching for material, you can filter your results to display only eBooks by checking the "Available Online" box near the top of the results page.

Some tips for accessing eBooks:

• Many eBooks will require you to log in with your NetID before you are able to access them.
• Some eBooks will only allow a certain number of people to access them at once. Other eBooks must be "checked out" the same way a physical book would be, and can only be used by one person at a time.
• Some physical books, usually ones published before 1922, are available online through HathiTrust. If you want to know if a physical book is available through HathiTrust, look for the words "Digital Copies at HathiTrust" when you click on the book in your search results. You can also search for digitized books at HathiTrust.org.