We explain what historical sources are, why they are essential and the characteristics of each type of historical source.
What are the sources of history?
Historical sources or sources of history are the set of objects, documents, testimonies and representations that provide the historian with information about the past. These are the sources of information that historians interpret to reconstruct what happened.
Unlike other social disciplines that can observe their object of study directly, historians analyze the past, a phenomenon that cannot be reproduced which is unique and unrepeatable. To study it, they analyze the different sources of information available using a historical method.
The sources must be contrasted and studied taking into account their production context. Furthermore, it is important to identify their level of reliability (that is, how representative they are of the reality they state) and analyze what information they provide about the past. All historical accounts are based on the analysis of sources.
For this reason, historical scholarship encourages researchers to search for as many and varied sources as possible. The objective is to reconstruct a story about the past in the most neutral and objective way possible.
For example, reconstructing what happened in an ancient war based on the testimony of a soldier from the winning side is not the same as doing so based on the stories given by the defeated side.
See also: Sources of information
Types of historical sources
When classifying historical sources, the main difference lies between primary sources and secondary sources. The primary sources are testimonies, objects and other documents that were produced in the period of history being studied.
Secondary sources are the so-called “historiographic sources”. These are stories and studies prepared by other historians and, therefore, allow us to know the past through an interpretation already made. This is information that arises from other historical research and contributions from other disciplines.
Primary sources are classified into:
Written sources. They are those that depend on written language, such as treaties, literary works, chronicles, documents, newspapers, inscriptions, etc. It is common to classify them into:
- Documentaries when they are issued by public institutions or entities, or are part of some type of bureaucracy or formal registry.
- Periodic when they are published or disclosed for informational or entertainment purposes, and are part of a continuous or daily publication.
- Literary when they are part of written works of art, such as poems, novels, epics, songs, etc.
- Scientific when they are the result of field research, direct observations or other work typical of scientific thinking.
- Personal when they were written with the intention of recording what someone experienced, such as memories, diaries, correspondence, or they were generated as support for other activities, such as notes, drafts, etc.
Material remains These are different types of remains that show the activity of life in society. They can be, for example, fossil remains, buildings (such as temples, roads or homes), weapons or clothing.
Audiovisual sources. They are records of images and sounds. For example, photographs and videos, paintings, prints or newspaper cartoons.
Oral testimonies. They are testimonies that are transmitted through words. They can be verbal accounts from people who witnessed historical events or even narratives, anecdotes, myths and songs that were transmitted orally.
Continue with: Types of research
Sources and historical method
To carry out their research and obtain reliable results, historians work from a scientific method, which is organized into different stages. All stages are important and together they aim to create an objective and neutral reconstruction of the past.
The stages of the historical method are:
- Choice of theme. The problem to be investigated and analyzed is established. Questions are asked around the issue; what, how, where, why the events of the topic under study happened and who carried them out, what were their intentions, interests or difficulties
- Development of a hypothesis. Based on the questions asked, assumptions (i.e. possible answers) are made. These assumptions are called “hypotheses” and they may be right or wrong.
- Information search. Historians look for different types of sources suitable for the study of the topic. Depending on the level of academic research, access and available sources, historians work with primary sources or secondary sources.
- Source analysis. The different available sources are analyzed, compared and interpreted in relation to the proposed hypotheses.
- Preparation of conclusions. The analysis is written and research conclusions are proposed that imply whether or not the hypotheses are correct according to the analysis of the sources.
- Research dissemination. Studies can be disseminated through different media, such as scientific publications, documentary series, books, classes, cultural programs.
References
- Galliano, A., Katz, M and others (2015). “The work of historians.” Social Sciences. History and geographical spaces from the origin of man to the Middle Ages. Edelvives.
- González, MP and Massone, M. (2002). “The work of historical reconstruction.” Societies. Vicens Vives.
- Marquez, M and Cassano, K. (2010). “The sources of history.” Social Sciences 1. Cassava.
