Elmer Ellis Library is a special asset of the Ancient Studies program.  Its strength derives from the long tradition of art history, the classics and archaeology on the MU campus that began in 1892.  Ellis Library houses some 100,000 volumes that are excellent resources for the study of art and archaeology as well as Classical philology and literature.  It is particularly noteworthy for its many publications from European Academies of Arts and Letters and for its series of journals from regional archaeological and historical societies.

There are two campus museums relevant to the Ancient Studies program.  The collections of the Museum of Art and Archaeology include more than 13,000 ancient objects from western Asia, Egypt and the Mediterranean region.  In addition, the Museum of Anthropology holds research collections of anthropological specimens from France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Africa and China.  Classes frequently participate in special tours on their topic of study, and graduate students occasionally have an opportunity for a class in Museum Studies.  Arrangements may also be made for students to use the microfiche edition of the Photographic Archive of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome, which is available through the Nelson-Atkins Museum.

Students are encouraged to work with scientists at the Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR) on projects involving neutron activation and trace element analyses.  The Anthropology Department also maintains a human skeletal identification laboratory and a paleoethnobotany laboratory.  Students in the Department of Classical Studies have access the Walter Miller Library and to TLG and PHI disks in the departmental seminar room.  They are also encouraged to use the Center for Studies in the Oral Tradition.  Because MU is a contributing member of the the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and of the American Academy in Rome, graduate students may elect to study in Athens or Rome for a summer or a year or while researching their dissertations.