Historians & Archaeologists

Historians

• mainly use written records as their main sources of information

• study the past

• excavate artefacts at archaeological dig sites

• never evaluate the validity of artefacts

Archaeologists

• excavate artefacts at archaeological dig sites

• evaluate the validity of primary and secondary sources

• analyse artefacts from archaeological sites

• excavate fossils

When studying Ancient History, Historians need to

• refer to primary and secondary sources

• interrogate the sources

• evaluate the validity of written sources

• evaluate the validity of artefacts

The six key questioning words used in historical inquiry include

• whenever, wherever, wherefore, whence, whom, whither

• who?, what?, when?, where?, how?, why?

Examples of written primary sources may include

• Plays and poetry, Histories, Legends

• Graffiti, Pottery Inscriptions

• Letters, Memoirs, Medical texts, Speeches, Decrees

• Laws, Military reports, Contracts

Archaeology means

• the study of the ancient past through fossils

• the study of the human past through artefacts, or objects made, used or modified by humans

A Primary source is one that

• comes from the period of History being investigated

• is created after the period of History that is being investigated

A Secondary source is a source that is

• created during the period of History being studied

• written or produced after the period of History that is being described

The reliability of a source must be evaluated to try to determine

• bias

• point of view

• relevance

• authenticity

To determine the authenticity of a source, it is important to ask:

• How accurate are the details provided by the source?

• What point of view is being represented by this source?

• Is this source providing first hand details of the time being studied or have some parts, or all of it, been altered?

• How relevant is this source to the key/focus question?