Introduction to History and Historical Sources

Flashcards covering core vocabulary on the definition of history, types of historical sources, and the methods of external and internal historical criticism.

History

The study and interpretation of past human activity based on data and sources.

Historia

The Greek etymological origin of the word history, defined as inquiry or investigation.

Historiography

The study of how history is written, used by historians to reconstruct the past while acknowledging bias and subjectivity.

Primary Sources

Direct evidence characterized by its content, regardless of format (original, microfilm, digital, or published), categorized into written sources, numerical records, oral statements, relics, and images.

Secondary Sources

Interpretations of primary sources (such as textbooks and biographies) prepared by an individual who was not a direct witness to an event and obtained information from someone else.

Tertiary Sources

Compilations such as encyclopedias, Wikipedia, and dictionaries that provide third-hand information by reporting ideas and details from secondary sources.

Historical Criticism

A method (also called the historical-critical method) that investigates the origin of texts or sources to understand their context, literal sense, and original meaning.

Authorial Intent

What the author intended a historical text or document to mean.

External Criticism

The first test applied to historical sources that examines the physical form, writing style, integrity of the manuscript, date, and place of origin to detect forgery, misrepresentation, or fabrication and establish authenticity.

Internal Criticism

The examination of the content of a historical source to evaluate the credibility of the author and the accuracy of the account.

Provenance

An authenticity test in external criticism that traces the origin and chain of custody of a historical document.

Anachronism

A chronological inconsistency checked when dating a document during external criticism (e.g., verifying whether specific words like 'kalayaan' fit the historical period).

Orthography (in Historical Criticism)

The analysis of spelling conventions and writing systems (such as Early Tagalog in Doctrina Christiana versus Modern Filipino) used to verify a document's authenticity.

Semantics (in Historical Criticism)

The test of authenticity in external criticism that examines the specific meanings of words used in a text during its historical period.

Hermeneutics (in Historical Criticism)

The interpretation of ambiguous or ironic statements within a historical document.

Corroboration

A test of credibility in internal criticism based on the agreement or mutual confirmation of facts among independent sources or witnesses.