Search Tools

General Notes on the ANS Online Search Tools:

• The ANS search tools are all keyword based. This means that you can type in a word and, unless instructed otherwise, the database will look for it in any field.
• The database will look for records that match all criteria. This means that if you enter "tiberius augustus", you will see recrds that contain both words.
• Searches are case-insensitive. That is, "Lincoln" and "lincoln" are equivalent.
• Use '*' to search for stems. E.g., "medallion*" will find "medallion" and "medallions".
• Most one and two character words are not indexed so that your search will fail if they are included. However, Roman numerals are indexed so that searching for 'Constantine II' in the Person field will find coins of that emperor.
• Numeric fields and numeric words within text fields are not usually indexed. See the instructions for each database for details.
• There is a limit of 5000 records returned per search.
• There are typos and other errors in the databases. Please send notice of these to Sebastian Heath or to the department curator. General comments are also welcome.

Coin and Other Object Search

• Dates BCE are indicated by the minus (-) sign. E.g., -323. You can only search by date with "Search by Fields" form.
• If you do enter a Start Date, your search will be much faster if you also enter an end date.
• Except for Start Date and End Date, numeric fields and numeric words within text fields are not indexed.
• Selecting an Object Type of Coin will slow your search.
• In general, it is a very good idea to start with broad searches. Try looking for "charlemagne", then narrow your search down to the Medieval department to exclude medals and modern coins.

Library Search

• Year of publication should be entered as a 4 digit number.
• Many records subsequent to 1994 are not yet searchable by year. This includes most journal articles.
• Searches are case-insensitive and accents are unnecessary.
• The database will return records that match all criteria.
• Searches that include multiple keywords, year and type of publication may be very slow.
• Author names are usually given in full, i.e. "John Smith". First names are sometimes abbreviated so that it is best to search for an author's last name, then narrow your search with a first name if necessary.
• This tool is very much under development and should be considered experimental. Comments are very welcome.

Numismatic Literature Search

• Year of publication should be entered as a 4 digit number.
• Author names are usually given in full, i.e. "John Smith". First names are sometimes abbreviated so that it is best to search for an author's last name, then narrow your search with a first name if necessary.