Meaning of History

History

Derived from the Greek word historia, meaning learning by inquiry, it involves the systematic account of natural phenomena in a chronological arrangement.

Factual history

Presents basic information about events (what), time and date (when), place, and people involved (who).

Speculative history

Goes beyond facts to explore reasons (why) and ways (how) events occurred, speculating on cause and effect.

Historians

Individuals who write about history, conducting historical research to organize the past meaningfully.

Historiography

The practice of historical writing focusing on gathering evidence from libraries and archives for descriptive or analytical narratives.

Limitations of Historical Knowledge

Incompleteness of records limits understanding of history due to lack of evidence or artifacts.

History as Subjective Process of Re-Creation

Historians reconstruct the past from available records and inferences, aiming for verisimilitude.

Historical Method

The critical examination and analysis of past records and survivals to understand history.

Historiography

The imaginative reconstruction of the past based on data derived from historical method.

Historical Analysis

Involves selecting a subject, collecting sources, examining their genuineness, and extracting credible information.