Help to search

Basic Search
General search criteria
Advanced Search
Browsing accesses
Results display
Full Text Search
Web site suggestions

With SISYPHOS it is possible to search either simultaneously in all three subject areas ("Egyptology", "Ancient Near Eastern Studies" and "Classical Archaeology") or to carry out a separate search in each area individually.

Basic Search

• Basic Search enables a fast and uncomplicated search through all registered categories.
  
• Single or several search terms can be entered into the search field.
• By using the standard search adjustment “with all of the words” the entered search terms are automatically linked up with “and”. Only internet resources containing all entered search terms in their data sets will be listed.
• By using the search adjustment “with at least one of the words” all internet resources containing one of the entered search terms in their data sets will be listed.

General search criteria

• When several search terms are entered into the search field they must be separated by a space.
• The search is activated by clicking the “search” button.
• Capitalization or the use of small initial letters doesn’t have to be considered.
• Truncation: allows the automatic search for incomplete words or word parts. No specific truncation signs are needed.
• Phrase search: to narrow the search results down, a phrase search can be carried out by entering a specific word or word order in quotation marks.

Advanced Search

• The Advanced Search enables a search concretion, and a narrowing down of the search results. A search can be made according to specific categories (for example: title, keyword, author or language). Several search categories can be linked.
• When entering several terms into one or different search fields, they are automatically linked up with “and”.
• New search: by clicking the formulation “New search”, to the right side of the “search” button, all so far entered search parameter will be canceled and a new search can be made.

You may search in the following categories:

• All
  By using this search field all categories of the data sets will be searched.
• Title
  By using this search field you can search for single or several words of an internet resource title, these may also be abbreviations of the resources. Several words (in random order) can be entered. If the search results are narrowed down to a greater extent, or if the precise title of the searched internet resource is known, these precise terms can be put in quotation marks, in the right order, and searched for by using the phrase search.
• Person
  When searching for an internet resource concerning a specific person, an entry in the following order proves useful: Surname, a comma, and the first name. Several names can be entered into the search field.
  
  Attention: When several names are entered into the search field, they are to be separated by spaces (blanks), not by commas.
  In order to precise your search even more, you can embrace multiple full person names with quotation marks and chain them together with spaces.
  
• Name / Institution
  Using this search field you can search for internet resources according to their author, contributor or publisher. It does not matter whether this is a person or an institution. Multiple terms (in random order) can be entered as well.
• Institution
  The term institution or corporation includes, for example, unions and organisations (universities, institutes, museums, libraries, foundations, associations etc.), as well as states, countries, municipalities (communities), and their organs (ministries, parliaments, authorities etc.). You may search for any single keyword that is a part of the corporation’s name. Therefore, it is sufficient to enter meaningful keywords in random order.
  Examples:
  schliemann museum will find Heinrich-Schliemann-Museum <Ankershagen>
  paris musée will find e. g. Musée National du Louvre <Paris>
berlin institut findet u.a. Deutsches Archäologisches Institut <Berlin>
• Person and institution
  You may enter a persons name and an institution in the search field. The terms must e then separated by spaces (blanks).
• Keyword
  By using this search field you can retrieve internet resources according to catchphrases. They express the content, or to be precise the subject of an internet resource; so you may search, for example, for a resource regarding a specific archeological excavation, material category etc. You can search for German, as well as for English terms. The German keywords are based on the so called Schlagwortnormdatei (SWD), which are usually used in singular form. Multiple terms (in random order) can be entered.
• DDC
  Using this field you can search according to the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), by entering corresponding key numbers. Only single notations are used, not synthetic notations of the DDC. Example: T2--32 (geographic notations for "Egypt"); T--09013 (chronological notations for "Middle Kingdom"); 731.54 (subject notation for "Relief")
• Region
  Using this field you can search for internet resources with content regarding a specific region, in which it’s publishing institution might also be located, by entering the name of that region. You may search according to continent, state, or country. The German federal states can also be in detail investigated.
  This search field is not freely writeable. Using the pull-down-menu enables a term election by clicking the wanted one.
• Language
  Using this field you can search for internet resources written in a specific language. The search field is not freely writeable. Using the selection window enables a language selection by clicking the wanted one. The languages in the selection window are in alphabetical order.
  Several languages can be selected at the same time; by holding the shift key down, and clicking the wanted term.
• Sourcetype
  Using this field you can search for internet resources according to the resource type. The resource type defines the character of the resource searched for (for example image database, subject gateway or link collection), and the type of the supplier (for example library, image bank, museum).
  The search field is not freely writeable. Using the selection window enables a selection by clicking the wanted term. The terms in the selection window are in alphabetical order. (The terms are not classified according to the two major groups “information providers” and “Type of Information”, see below Browsing access).
  Several terms can be selected at the same time; by holding the shift key down, and clicking the wanted term.

Browsing (currently within each subject area only)

• The different browsing methods provide systematic access to the collection. The internet resources are arranged in different classification patterns:
• Subject: The index "Subject" is arranged by subject areas, i.e. Egyptology, Archaeology or Ancient Near Eastern Studies. The Archaeological vocabulary is taken from the Thesaurus of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). The vocabulary for Ancient Near Eastern Studies was especially created for SISYPHOS. Basic outlines were supplied by the Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie (RlA), the "Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East" and the series Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments (TUAT). The Egyptological vocabulary is based on the scheme of the Annual Egyptological Bibliography.
• Region: The index "Region" arranges the internet resources according to the region covered by their content, but not for the location of the publishing institution. The Archaeological vocabulary is taken from the Thesaurus of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). The vocabulary for Ancient Near Eastern Studies was especially created for SISYPHOS. Basic outlines were supplied by the Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie (RlA), the "Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East" and the series Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments (TUAT). The Egyptological vocabulary is based on the scheme of the Annual Egyptological Bibliography.
• Time period, can be found in the collections "Egyptology" and "Ancient Near Eastern Studies": arranges the internet resources chronologically.
• Sourcetype: The index “Resourcetype” is subdivided into two major groups: “information providers” contains the different types of authors and publishers of an internet resources; “type of information” contains the different kinds of internet resources.
• If you click the Generic term in the navigation bar a hierarchical structured list appears.
  For example: Browsing access “subject”
  
  


•  The icon of a closed folder indicates that other subgroups are enclosed in this generic subject term.
•  The icon of an open folder indicates that the subgroups of a generic subject term are listed.
•   The icon of a written page indicates that there are several results enclosed in this term.
• The number of results is written in brackets after the term.
• By clicking on the term, navigation within the term’s list is possible.

Results display

• The result lists of the basic and guided search appears below the searching fields. Up to 20 brief records of internet resources are listed on one page. Other results can be accessed by clicking on the page numbers given.
• The result lists displayed when using a browsing access appears to the right side of the hierarchical structured list. Up to 10 brief records of internet resources are listed on one page. Other results can be accessed by clicking on the page numbers given.
• The results are listed according to title in alphabetical order.

Brief record display

• The brief record display delivers insight to the content of a resource. A title, eventually, a subtitle, as well as author and/or publisher are enclosed. An abstract of the content follows.
• The title is provided with a link to the internet resource; by clicking it the connected web site will be loaded.
• For more information regarding the resource click on [Details].

Detail display

• The detail display presents all the information documented about the specific internet resource in Sisyphos.

Full Text Search – WWW-SearchSpace

• The WWW search field Egyptology / Ancient Near Eastern Studies / Classical Archaeology permits full-text searching within the egyptological, ancient Near Eastern and archaeological internet sources of Sisyphos.
  
• The search-screen is pre-set to display only 3 hits per website. This means that a broad spektrum of hits from various websites can be displayed simultaneously. You have the option to change these settings, or to go direct from the hits from a website to the other hits from that site.
• Hits are only displayed from web pages which contain all the given search terms.
• Use of upper or lower case are not relevant for searching.
• The search for terms in a sequence exactly as typed requires the use of quotation marks, e.g. "Attic Tomb Relief" or "Old Babylonian Cylinder Seal".
• To exclude a word from the search place a minus sign before it, e.g. "Acropolis -Athene" or "Ziggurat -Ur".
• Punctuation marks are treated as spaces and divide groups of words into separate search-terms, e.g. http://www.kalkriese-varusschlacht.de/ = www kalkriese varusschlacht de, http://www.etana.org/abzu/ = www etana org abzu.

Web site suggestions

• You are welcome to participate in developing the Sisyphos’ collection of internet resources relevant to Egypotology, Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Classical Archaeology. You may send us your suggestion using the web form.
• Here for click "suggestion form".
  
  
• Enter the internet resource’s link in the given field and confirm with “OK”.
• Using the “cancel” button you can delete the suggestion.
• The link is entered automatically into the provided field.
  
• You may fill the remaining fields as far as you can.
• All fields, but the “language” field, are freely writeable. The language in which the internet resource is documented can be entered by clicking on the “arrow” button to the right side of the field. A list appears, from which you can select a language by clicking the given box, and then accepting the selection.


• You may write an abstract and justify the selection of your suggestion in the given field. The abstract will carry your name, in the category “review”, when admitted into the collection.
• On account of the mentioned above, and for further contact, please enter your name and E-mail address in the “Suggestion from …” field.
• By using the “OK” button, you can send us your suggestion.
• Using the “cancel” button you can delete the suggestion.