Chapter 6 Lesson 1 - Sources and Reliability

Chapter 6 Lesson 1 - Sources and Reliability

Mr. Curia's World History Class

​Unlike Bruno, we have to talk about sources because they shape what we know as students of history.

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First, we have to talk about sources

Multiple Choice

Primary sources are ______

• always written on clay tablets.

• sometimes written by modern historians.

• only supposed to be read by professors.

• not always reliable.

History means a few things:

1. The events that actually happened in past.

2. What we ​know happened in the past.

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​Making definitions clear is important for clear thinking

What is history?

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When most people say something is 'historical' this is what they mean. Events that happened in the past happened in a certain way. But how do we know they happened that way?

​​Things that happened

​Historians have developed analytical techniques (ways of studying things) that help give more certainty to what we know. Knowledge is limited by written sources, and artifacts (objects from the past).

​​Things we know

Poll

How important is it for the stories we know about history to be true to what actually happened?

• 1 - Not at all important

• 2 - Not very important

• 3 - Not important either way

• 4 - Very important

• 5 - Absolutely important

History is important to dialogue. Points from history are used to create frameworks of belief, be that political, religious, or personal. Events are also used to support ideas and claims. Knowing what is true helps us know what claims are justified.

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Uses of history in life

One of the main sources for this chapter is the Hebrew Bible. It is a historical text. It is also a religious text. The events described are incredibly important to the beliefs of a lot of people. Since that is the case, we need to be respectful in our study of this history.

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Be kind to people, and ruthless to institutions

​The tricky thing about this chapter

For this chapter, use of the Hebrew Bible will be noted. There are two lenses to see this through: religious truth and historical truth. The textbook will guide what we learn, and I try to make sure I add historical context. Regardless of historical accuracy, it is important that you understand this topic for cultural literacy. ​

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​Cultural influence can make knowledge more valuable

​There are two lenses

Multiple Choice

Which of these is an example of using history in daily life?

• Choosing a video game to buy

• Predicting a Super Bowl winner based on season records

• Playing catch with friends

• Doing chores

This history is the bedrock of Judaism, most modern Jewish people are descended from the ancient Israelites.

Judaism

Christianity emerged out of Judaism in the 1st Century A.D. and uses the Hebrew Bible as part of it's religious texts.

Christianity

Islam also emerged out of Jewish and Christian teachings in the Arabian peninsula during the late 6th Century A.D. and claims descent to Abraham's son, Ishmael.

Islam

The textbook uses religious texts as a source, and that is fine. As we have been learning, we compare sources to archaeological ​data. The validity of the text to personal belief should not be effected by this.

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Mythic literalism is not the only way to read a text.

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​Belief and History

​The phrase "Do your own research" is a bit cliché but in this case there is so much scholarly information on where text and artifacts align, and how the texts were compiled that I cannot cover it here.

Do your own research

Multiple Choice

Archaeology on it's own can tell us what?

• How people lived and worked

• What stories people told

• Why people did things the way that they did

• What the weather was like in the past