Categorize the various sources historians use to construct the past.
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Hook comparing historians to detectives.
Historians are like detectives arriving at a crime scene centuries late. They have to piece together a story using whatever is left behind—a broken pot, an old coin, or a half-erased letter. When sources contradict each other, they must decide which "witness" to trust more!
Definition of historical sources.
A Source of history is a place, person, text, or object from which we gather information about a past event or period. Just like clues at a scene, every object or structure tells a story and acts like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle.
Mind map of all source types based on the textbook graphic.
Historians rely on a diverse web of evidence to reconstruct the past.
Introduction to epigraphy and scientific methods.
Uncovering the past isn't a one-person job. Historians work alongside archaeologists, anthropologists, and epigraphists (experts who study ancient inscriptions) to piece together history.
Grid comparing different types of sources.
Physical remains dug from the earth.
Written texts and accounts.
Spoken traditions passed down.
Practice categorizing specific historical items.
An ancient travelogue written by a foreign visitor provides a written record and is considered a source. A copper plate inscribed with a king's orders is carefully studied by an . Because it is a physical object excavated from the ground, the copper plate is classified as an source. When historians discover an ancient tooth, they can extract DNA from it to understand human migration. This modern biological study relies on the science of . All of these experts work together to piece together the history of humanity.