AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY AND WHAT THEY STUDY - HISTORY - 2025

The auxiliary sciences of History are all the disciplines that have arisen over time and that are dedicated to different objects of study within this branch of knowledge. However, in this case, a clearer distinction needs to be made.

Certainly each knowledge has had a birth and evolution, but that does not necessarily imply that historians use this knowledge to establish how events happened. For this reason there are disciplines created to contribute to the development of History and others that are more differentiated.

In addition, the current processes associated with knowledge imply a joint effort that draws on many specialties at the same time. For this science, we will try to establish which are the most direct and others that are very useful.

Auxiliary sciences of history

1- Archeology

Dinosaur skeleton exposed in archaeological museum.

This discipline, which is also associated with paleontology, uses ancient material remains to interpret how cultures of the past lived. This type of knowledge is closely linked to History, because it is about making an account of what happened.

Fossils, tombs, structures, tools, art and literature reveal social, cultural and artistic aspects about a given society. This allows to rebuild their civilization, what were their customs and how their members lived at that specific time.

2- Geography

Globes and spheres of the world. Geography is used to study the earth's surface, among other uses.

As part of the known world, the location of events is of vital importance from a historical point of view. The development of living beings and especially of humanity is conditioned by the place where they settled and flourished.

History can refer to the universe itself, the formation of the Earth and how it got to the present. All this requires a spatial location to understand where the events happened, why that place is important and how it influenced subsequent events.

3- Cartography

Political map of the world.

This science focuses on the elaboration of precise maps on territorial and geographical limits that can have different dimensions.

Although it has been one of the disciplines most influenced by technology, the old illustrations show the ingenuity, imagination and perception that one had at a given moment about the mapped regions.

4- Stratigraphy

Multiple layers of chalk on Cyprus hillside. MeanStreets at English Wikipedia / Public domain

Born from geology, this knowledge is based on the classification of the different types of rocks in the soil strata.

The identification of sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic stones allows establishing the events related to the earth's crust. With the support of archeology it is possible to recreate geographical conditions, climatic and geological events of importance.

5- Chronology

The press helps put a chronological order to the story. Source: pxhere.com

This discipline is focused on establishing the facts chronologically; that is to say, the precise moment in which they happened.

This is essential to accurately determine the historical periods, the most relevant dates, the dating of the sources, the context of the documents, among other significant aspects.

6- Demographics

Record books are a great source for demographic censuses.

Also associated with geography and sociology, it determines the growth and development of populations statistically. Provides data on how populations are increasing, maintaining, or decreasing in a particular country or locality.

For this, it is based on indices such as birth, mortality, morbidity, migration, immigration and a whole series of variables that have historical value.

7- Ethnology

Indigenous tribe.

Related to anthropology, this discipline is in charge of classifying, describing and finding out the races of peoples, how they have been constituted and the customs they possess.

From a historical point of view, it is essential to know the entire journey or the biography of ethnic groups, clans and families that have influenced their environment and the legacy it represents for said community.

8- Genealogy

Family tree. Source: pixabay.com

Related to ethnography, this discipline refers to the line of descent followed by families that have appeared throughout history. It also refers to the offspring that may have occurred at a certain time.

It is of vital importance for the study of dynasties, bloodlines, kings and queens, clans and families that have had a leading role in their locality or country. It also serves to know our ancestors, how their surname was transmitted and how they reached other latitudes.

9- Numismatics

Julius Nepus Empire Gold Coins

Considered the oldest of the auxiliary sciences in history, it is related to the analysis of medals, coins and bills of a period or a particular civilization.

Associated with political and economic elements, this study can be considered in a descriptive or theoretical way depending on the context that is to be taken as a historical reference.

10- Epigraphy

Rosetta stone

Framed within the literary and philological context, this science aims to make known and interpret ancient inscriptions on materials such as stone, clay, granite or in caves and temples that have survived.

Its main function is to transmit that ancestral knowledge through the contextual interpretation of these writings. For the historian it is important to know the precise meaning of an image or a hieroglyph that prevents him from falling into imprecise or speculative interpretations.

11- Palaeography

Egyptian papyrus.

Unlike the previous one, this discipline treats any type of ancient text for its proper decipherment in relation to the historical moment. It is also responsible for preserving, dating, and conducting a systematic and critical study of the writing in question.

It can be associated with linguistics, librarianship, papyrology or archeology, among others. It is essential for the study of literature, thought and ideas transmitted by different cultures that managed to survive under various circumstances.

12- Heraldry

Coat of arms

This science, which is closely linked to lineages and families from earlier times, refers to the study of the images represented on coats of arms.

It can be focused on family names, as well as on countries that at some point hoisted this kind of symbol. Within the story are important references about the values ​​that identified them.

13- Diplomatic

Dom Mabillon. Pour le versement et les modifications ː G. Garitan / Public domain

This is another discipline that studies the documents that have been produced throughout history. It does not take into account who the author was, but rather focuses on its internal and external qualities for its proper interpretation and authenticity.

These factors include the language, the writing, the formatting, the way it is written, and other elements.

14- Stealth

Sealing wax.

Related to some of the previous disciplines, the main function of this science is to reveal the meaning of the old stamps used in documents, official communications and letters.

In addition to verifying its legitimacy, it also takes into account the historical circumstances, the linguistic conditions and the importance it had in the events of the time.

15- Bibliography

Book shelves in a library

Book and text references are essential to any science, especially when it comes to recreating history.

As a study of the process that is responsible for publishing and storing books in physical and digital form, it seeks the best implementation for their recovery. This implies facilitating consultation, making documents more accessible and using a standardized system.

16- Ecology

Ecology studies the relationships between living things and their environments. Source: pixabay.com

When this discipline is understood as the interaction of man with his environment, his biological relationship also contains historical nuances. In fact, its importance has been enhanced by the effects that human activity has had on the environment.

Although it is a relatively recent branch, the interactions between living things in their ecosystems is something that dates back to the creation of the earth. These manifestations explain cyclical or cultural behaviors that have occurred throughout the centuries.

17- Political and legal sciences

Together with the Law, these sciences form an indivisible part of the historical process of the nations that have had the greatest influence on the world. Electoral processes and the evolution of laws go hand in hand with the formation of societies.

In addition to the cultural, economic or artistic context, nations have had to go through an arduous path of colonization, independence, revolution, political and legal models that have represented those great changes that history recounts.

18- Linguistics

Gutenberg's Bible, by Ernst Zeeh,, via Pixabay.

The transition from magical and oral to written traditions is one of the points that clearly defines the beginning of the story. The various languages ​​spoken represent symbol systems that have recorded the most significant events of each culture.

Although the records are often incomplete, the development of languages ​​allows us to reconstruct the circumstances or thought of an era. In addition, it is integrated into all forms of communication that have emerged in the future of humanity.

19- Philosophy

Classical philosophers.

Considered by many the mother of all sciences because it speaks of thought itself, it is central in the ideological formation of civilizations. Includes deduction, interpretation, dialectics, ethics, logic and much more.

It is the basis of the scientific method that integrates all disciplines that need experimentation and hypothesis testing to confirm theories. The ability to theorize is something common to all disciplines that we know.

There are many disciplines that can be included in this list. Be it everything related to art, literature and music or more exact sciences such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.

To understand the world in historical terms, it is necessary to weigh a whole series of knowledge that interrelate with each other and complement each other in a reciprocal way.

References

1. Wikipedia (2017). Auxiliary disciplines used in the story. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
2. Monzón, Miguel (2015). Auxiliary sciences of history. Recovered from: prezi.com.
3. Amakara, Leyva (2010). Auxiliary sciences of history. Recovered from: es.slideshare.net.
4. Castillero, Ana (undated). 70 auxiliary sciences of history. Recovered from: www.academia.edu.