Historical Method Flashcards
is many times removed from the events under investigation.
The historian
They rely on surviving records.
Historians
Historians have to ___ sources, to ___ them, ___ their place of origin and ___ their intended functions.
verify, date, locate, identify
The process of critically examining and analyzing the records and survivals of the past.
Historical Method
An object from the past or testimony concerning the past on which historians depend in order to create their own depiction of that past.
Sources
Tangible remains of the past.
Historical Sources
• Published materials
- Books, magazines, journals,
- Travelogue
- Transcription of speech
• Manuscript
- Archival materials
- Memoirs, diary
Written Sources
• Oral history
• Artifact
• Ruins
• Fossils
• Art works
• Video recordings
• Audio recordings
Non-written Sources
Produced by a contemporary of the event it narrates. Ex: testimony of an eyewitness.
Primary Sources
Four Main Categories of Primary Sources
- Written sources
- Images
- Artifacts
- Oral testimony
Interprets and analyzes primary sources. Ex: printed materials (serials, periodicals which interprets previous research).
Secondary Sources
In order for a source to be used as evidence in history, basic matters about its form and content must be settled.
Historical Criticism
2 Historical Criticisms
- External Criticism
- Internal Criticism
• The problem of authenticity
• To spot fabricated, forged, faked documents
• To distinguish a hoax or misrepresentation
External Criticism
• Determine the date of the document to see whether they are anachronistic
e.g. pencils did not exist before the 16th Century
• Determine the author
e.g. handwriting, signature, seal
• Anachronistic style
e.g. idiom, ortography, punctuation
• Anachronistic reference to events
e.g. too early, too late, too remote
• Provenance or custody
e.g. determines its genuineness
Tests of Authenticity
