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There are two kinds of sources: primary and secondary. The main difference between a primary and a secondary source is when they were made. In order to determine whether a particular source is a primary or secondary source, you need to discover its time of creation.
- Source Creator
Unfortunately, you almost always need to find out the...
- Reliability
Reliability is a source evaluation skill which asks you to...
- Source Creator
- The Art of War by Sun-Tzucoelacan
- Unravelling The Sources
- Primary Sources
- Written Sources
- Epigraphy
- Settlements, Buildings, & Monuments
- Artefacts
- Bones
- Secondary Sources
To fill in the context of the past we wish to study involves carefully questioning a whole bunch of sources – not just written ones – and avoiding pitfalls as much as possible. The closely connected field of archaeologyoffers a priceless helping hand in achieving this, so these sources will be discussed here, too.
Sources are our way of peering into the past, but the various kinds all present their own benefits and difficulties. The first distinction to make is between primary and secondary sources. A primary source is first-hand material that stems (roughly) from the time period that one wants to examine, whereas a secondary source is an additional step rem...
However cool actual sources from times gone by may be, we cannot simply assume that everything they tell us (or everything we think they tell us) is true, or that we are automatically able to interpret their contents and context correctly. They were made by people, from within their own contexts. Keeping a critical eye and asking questions is thus ...
Some examples of primary written sources are contemporary letters, eyewitness accounts, official documents, political declarations and decrees, administrative texts, and histories and biographies written in the period that is to be studied. Benefits – details; personal side; context The unmatched level of detail presented by written sources in gene...
Epigraphy refers to the study of inscriptions engraved upon various surfaces such as stone, metal, wood, clay tablets, or even wax, which may vary hugely in length from mere abbreviated words and administrative tablets to depicting entire official decrees. Benefits – typically durable; visible Usually, inscriptions tend to be pretty durable because...
Benefits – made to last; indicate structure of societies The daily lives of people become visible through the remains of their houses and the buildings they made use of, such as courts of law, bakeries, or schools. Monuments, also not unusually flashing inscriptions at its audience, can reveal the messages their normally powerful creators cried out...
Benefits – daily lives; use; society & culture Pitfalls – inferring meaning; inferring clues about society Artefacts are man-made things of archaeological interest, often from a cultural context. Examples are pottery, utensils, tools and jewellery, which can alert us to daily lives, style and culture; art – including statues – which can be both pub...
Benefits – morphology; health & related clues; filling in blanks; genetic evidence Studying bones yields clues regarding health, gender, age, size, diet, etc. Retrieval of ancient DNA – though not exactly a walk in the park – is also possible. The context in which bones are found as well as the point in time they came from help to fill information ...
After the maze that is primary sources, we may be tempted to think secondary sources are a sort of safe haven, where skilled researchers have taken all of the above-mentioned issues into account and have already come as close to actual history as possible. However, this would be a tad naïve; the people writing the secondary material are just as bou...
- Emma Groeneveld
May 3, 2024 · historiography, the writing of history, especially the writing of history based on the critical examination of sources, the selection of particular details from the authentic materials in those sources, and the synthesis of those details into a narrative that stands the test of critical examination.
- Richard T. Vann
Origin. Who created the source? What kind and type of source is it? Perspective. From what point of view is the source created? Context. When was the source created? What historical events happened at this time that are important to the creation of this source? Audience. Who was the intended audience of the source? Motive.
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What is a secondary source in history?
What is a source in history?
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What is a source of information?
Examples of primary sources include: personal journals/diaries/memoirs, letters, court proceedings, legislative debates, newspaper and magazine articles, movies, music, art, etc. Secondary Sources (i.e., historiography) – Books and articles produced by historians. Your final paper is a secondary source that you, working as an historian, produce.
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Origin: In order to analyze a source, you must first know what it is. Sometimes not all of these questions can be answered. The more you do know about where a document is coming from, the easier it is to ascertain purpose, value and limitation. The definition of primary and secondary source materials can be problematic.
Need to know the difference between primary and secondary sources? The Writing Center has the answer. What are Primary Sources? A primary source is a record left by a person (or group) who participated in or witnessed the events you are studying or who provided a contemporary expression of the ideas.
