GE8-1.2

SOURCES OF HISTORICAL DATA

Historical information

gleaned through objects and relics that have endured from the past (tangible relics/ testimonies)

Historical witnesses

testimonies and stories from the past

Source

can be a physical artifact or a witness account from the past that historians draw on to create their own interpretation of a certain time period

Historical interpretation

offers justification or an argument why events happened

Relics or remains

Artifacts: pottery fragments, coins, ruins, manuscripts, books, portraits, stamps, wreckage fragments, strands of hair, or other archaeological and anthropological remnants

Written documents

may represent the outcomes or records of events

Testimonies of witnesses

oral or written form, can serve as valuable records of historical events; provide firsthand accounts/ perspectives on specific events or experiences

Speech and commentaries

offer insights into the perspectives, beliefs, and motivations of individuals or groups involved in historical events

dynamic or evolutionary aspects of history

the way in which events develop

static features of history

the way things ere ata particular point in time

Written sources

narrative or literary sources, diplomatic or juridical sources, and social documents

Chronicles or pamphlets

written in a narrative style are considered narrative or literary source

Scientific piece

aims to inform current or future generations

Media story

aims to influence public opinion

Diaries and memoirs

personal tales that can persuade readers of the author’s viewpoint

Novels and movies

produced for amusement, moral instruction, or to promote a certain religion

Panegyric or hagiography

biography that extols (praises enthusiastically) the virtues and accomplishments of the subject

Diplomatic source

considered as useful sources by expert historians as they record or establish legal situations; historically been regarded as most trustworthy and pure

Charter

which has legal force that grants or guarantee of rights, powers, or privileges from an authority or agency of a state or country

Legal document

can be used as evidence in court proceedings; normally sealed or authenticated as evidence that a legal transaction has been performed

Distinctive formal traits that diplomatic sources have

handwriting or printing style, ink, seals, and outward qualities

Social documents

information with economic, social, political, or judicial value and bureaucracies maintain these records

Social documents

parliamentary proceedings, civil registry records, property registers, and census records; government reports, municipal accounts, research findings

Material (tangible) evidence and Verbal testimony (oral evidence)

both written and unwritten soruces are crucial

Archeological evidence

often referred as material evidence, holds immense significance as unwritten testimony of the past

Oral evidence

important source of information; Folk songs, sagas, and tales from the premodern era of Western History provide important historical context

Interviews

becoming a vital source of oral evidence for historians in the modern era

Primary sources

original, firsthand accounts of events or periods that are typically created during or shortly after the event or period in question

Secondary sources

consist of materials created by individuals who lived long after the events they described occurred as they provide a 2nd hand account of historical events and present an interpretation of those events