Sources

Using Sources in Ancient History

1. What Are Historical Sources?

Sources are materials from the past that provide evidence about historical events, people, and societies. They are divided into two main types:

🔹 Primary Sources – Created at the time of the event
🔹 Secondary Sources – Created later, analyzing or interpreting the past

What Are Historical Sources?

• Definition: Materials from the past that provide evidence about historical events.

• Two types:

• A Primary source is a first-hand or contemporary account of an event or topic or something that was or modified by human hands in the time period being studied. Primary sources are the most direct evidence of a time or event because they were created by peoplewho were present in the time period being studied. 

• Secondary source is one that was created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions being investigated. For the purposes of a historical research project, secondary sources are generally scholarly books and articles.  

2. We have 2 types of Primary Sources

Written

Inscriptions, scrolls, letters, stone reliefs, historical annals, tomb inscriptions, poems, prayers 

Archaeological: 2 types: artifacts and archaeological sites. 

Artifacts: Paintings, mosaics, carvings

Shows cultural beliefs & daily life

Pottery, tools, weapons

Reveals technology & trade

Mummies, skeletons

Shows health, diet & burial practices

Archaeological sites: Pyramids, Pompeii, Stonehenge, Parthenon, Aboriginal Rock carvings. 

Questions we ask when evaluating Sources (How Do Historians Use Them?)

Historians use a process of inquiry to analyze sources:

🔍 Who created it? – Was it an eyewitness or second-hand account?
📅 When was it made? – Is it from the time of the event or written later?
🎯 Why was it made? – Does it have a purpose, bias, or propaganda?
📖 What does it tell us? – Does it support or contradict other evidence?

📖Perspective: who wrote it and why? 

3. Reliability of Sources

Not all sources are completely accurate. Historians must:
✅ Compare multiple sources, cross-reference
✅ Consider bias (e.g., a king’s inscription may exaggerate victories)
✅ Consider multiple perspectives

✅ Accept that sometimes we don't have enough evidence to be absolutely certain about some historical topics. Learn to balance your discussion and moderate opinion based on the available evidence. 

Why Are Sources Important?

Without sources, history would just be stories. They provide us with primary source evidence on our quest to write accurate historical interpretations. EVIDENCE IS KEY!

Activity: Analyzing Ancient Sources

📜 Task: Look at an image of an ancient source (e.g.a Roman coin, an Egyptian tomb painting). Answer:

1. What type of source is it?

2. What information does it give?

3. How reliable do you think it is?

4. How could it be used as evidence? 

 Examples of Secondary Sources

• Textbooks

• Journal articles

• Historical writing

• Documentaries

• Biographies

• Museum exhibits