INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY

INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY

What is HISTORY?

HISTORY is the study of the past. 

Why do we study HISTORY?

* History helps us to understand more about ourselves and the world around us. It tells us where we come from and explains our culture and traditions.
* YOU are part of history. In the future, historians will be interested in your life.

HISTORIANS

A person who studies history.

Historians are interested in :

- How people lived

- Important events in the past.

How do HISTORIANS study the past?

Historians study the past using historical sources. A historical source is anything that gives us information about the past. Here are some examples.

There are TWO types of sources:

Historiography

It is the science that studies the events that occurred in the past and the societies that played a part in them.

​Herodotus is considered the father of historiography.

How can we know what happened in ancient times? 

Historians and archaeologists use the information provided by the remains of past times, they extract the needed data and, once this is done, they reconstruct the past and they explain it. 

Auxiliary sciences of history

• Archaeology: It is an auxiliary science of history that studies the material remains of the past.

• Palaeontology: It helps archaeologists study animal and plant fossils to determine what they look like.

• Chemistry: It is essential to date the organic remains using the carbon-14 method.

HOW MANY ERAS DOES THE HISTORY HAVE?

There are two: Prehistory and History. They are separated by the invention of writing (around 3000BC)

Periods of the HISTORY

• Palaeolithic Period: it began 2.5 million years ago with the appearance of the first hominids.

• Neolithic Period: it began around 10,000 BC with the discovery of agriculture and livestock farming.

• Metal Ages: it began around 5000 BC with the discovery of metallurgy.

• Antiquity: it began around 3500 BC with the invention of writing.

• Middle Ages: it began in 476 with the end of the Western Roman Empire. It is divided into the Early Middle Ages—until the 13th century—and the Late Middle Ages—from the 13th century.

• Early modern period: it began in 1492 with the discovery of America—other historians place its beginning in 1453, with the capture of Constantinople by the Turks

• Late modern period: it began in 1789 with the outbreak of the French Revolution. It extends to the present day.

Multiple Select

A Roman bridge is a :

• primary source

• secondary source

Open Ended

What is History?

Fill in the Blanks

A source from the same time as the period we want to study. Examples: letters, photos, videos, tools diaries.

Fill in the Blanks

There are two main eras dividing History:

Open Ended

What is the Archeology?

Multiple Select

A book about Roman bridges written by a historian is a:

• Primary source

• Secondary source

Multiple Select

A biography of Picasso is a:

• Primary source

• Secondary source

Multiple Select

An interview with Picasso is a:

• Primary source

• Secondary source