SOURCES OF HISTORY: TYPES AND EXAMPLES - HISTORY - 2025

The sources of history are the documents, objects, and other materials that researchers use to acquire information about events in the past. These files are used to explain the past and present of humanity.

There are many elements that can be considered historical sources, among them archaeological discoveries, paintings, maps and laws; These records are essential to understand the political and social characteristics of the different eras.

Historical sources can be archaeological discoveries, paintings, maps, and legal treatises. Sources: pixabay.com

However, it should be noted that historical research methodology is constantly evolving. For this reason - in recent years - academics have examined literature, photographs, documentaries and even films as relevant sources.

This is because they show specific events from reality. In this way, it is perceived that the sources of history can be varied, the most important being written documents, old images and testimonies.

However, it is essential that researchers use them objectively; that is, they portray the events as they occurred, without stating opinions that cannot be demonstrated.

Types of history sources

The types of historical sources are explained below:

- Primary sources

Primary sources are those that answer how, why and when an event occurred. In this way, it is observed that this material has to provide concrete data so that it can be considered a main support.

It is convenient to mention that historians work through social examination; it is like saying that they break the facts in order to put them back together. Likewise, to obtain positive results, researchers must not only go to libraries; they also have to visit museums, academies and civil registries.

If necessary, it is fair that they visit the relatives of the people who carried out a feat or who have been victims of an event.

The purpose is to get a little-known report, such as the diaries or the stories of the people who lived through the event. These sources are called testimonies and they enrich school and work projects.

Among the main primary sources are:

Iconographic works

Example of iconographic font. Relief of Alexander the Great before Amun-Ra, in the temple of Luxor. Neithsabes / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

Photographs and drawings are essential sources because they show a specific episode in the story. They reveal the clothing, landscapes and materials that men wore. However, it is essential to check that these objects have not been altered over time.

Textual references

Example of a textual source, the Hammurabi code

Books are usually the most relevant sources because they contain complete and detailed information. By analyzing the texts, researchers can develop a new study. The most valuable written references are:

- Legal codes (such as the laws that maintain the order of the nation).

- Censuses (are the data that show how many inhabitants there are in a country).

- Records (where are the birth and marriage certificates and the complaints that individuals have made over the years).

- Newspaper articles (newspapers and magazines, whether on paper or found on the internet).

- Chronicles and biographies (these books usually find local histories of countries or the lives of important figures such as politicians, artists, communicators or the military).

Books are usually the most relevant sources because they express complete and accurate information. Source: pixabay.com

Oral sources

For an opinion to be valid, it is necessary to verify that the person –who will transmit their testimony– is aware and in full use of their faculties; this with the aim of preventing the story from being modified. Generally, this source is divided into:

- Interviews with direct witnesses.

- Commercial.

- Radio and television speeches.

- Voice recordings and documentaries.

- Secondary sources

Secondary references to texts and elements that are intended to show that some event actually occurred are considered; that is, they explain what the primary sources say.

Thus it is perceived that the materials –which are incorporated into this category– are characterized by being instruments of exemplification. The most common are:

Graphic references

Graphic font example. User: Ewan ar Born / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

They are the tables, graphs and illustrations that are exposed in the research works and that seek to describe economic, demographic and climatic changes. The idea is to say how these transformations affect man on a daily basis.

Cartographic works

Cartographic source example. The World, Abraham Ortelius's Typus Orbis Terrarum, published 1564

Maps and charts written by navigators are cartographic works. These documents are fundamental because –for example– through maps you can see the states that make up a country, as well as the territories that have disappeared or have joined the nation.

Instead, the letters show the landscape transformations that the regions have undergone. These instruments are widely used in geohistory and ethnohistory:

- Geohistory: study how human actions modify the environment.

- Ethnohistory: examines how the world has perceived different social groups (indigenous, African, mestizo and European).

Material references

Example of material source. Hispano-Punic bronze coin. Pablojr00 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Thanks to these sources it can be shown that numerous cultures existed in the past and that their inhabitants contributed to the progress of humanity through their words or discoveries. Sometimes these objects represent the power and fortune of ancient civilizations, among them are:

- The coins and medals.

- The first writings (such as hieroglyphs).

- The construction of architectural and hydraulic parts (such as buildings, streets and pipes).

Examples of sources from history

Every aspect of life can be considered a historical source if it offers some concrete information. Fictional texts, ancient tomb discoveries, or a person's vision may be relevant when conducting a written study.

Here are some examples that have widely helped academics to understand reality:

Discovery of an Egyptian tomb

In July 2018, a group of archaeologists found a tomb near the Valleys of the Kings, a town in Egypt. This discovery was important because it demonstrated how the men of that country organized graves 3,500 years ago.

Such disclosure is important to academics because they have observed the following characteristics:

- A grave was shared by 10 people.

- Gold was no longer so used, but wood.

- Individuals were buried with 1,000 funerary stamps.

Christopher Columbus Diary

Image from the 1493 Basel edition of Columbus's letter announcing the Discovery.

In the 16th century, Christopher Columbus wrote a diary where he exposed what the fauna and flora of the American regions were like; He also described how the beings that inhabited those lands acted. That is why his book is essential for historians, since it is one of the first visions there is about the indigenous people.

However, scholars know that this book is not entirely reliable because it exaggerates the facts.

Sources of history in Mexico

The first historical investigations that were carried out in Mexico sought to explain the origin of indigenous peoples. For this reason, historians analyzed the images made by the aborigines and the chronicles written by the Spanish.

Since the 1920s, work began on the revolution, capitalism and the formation of peoples. For that reason, the researchers had to visit the records to find new information.

However, one of the main historical sources of this country is the statue that is located in the central door of the Chapultepec metro:

Chapultepec metro monument

The specialists express that this statue is a historical reference because it tells how aboriginal customs were united with the habits imposed by the Spanish, creating a new culture.

In Peru

The historical study in Peru has not been very developed. Generally, the investigations are carried out by foreigners, who go to the territories where the natives lived or the fights between the natives and conquerors took place; the purpose of these specialists is to examine the past.

Consequently, the most important sources are material, as scholars analyze landscapes and their modifications, ancient writings, roads, and objects made by the aborigines. So far the sources that have been most used are the figures found in Nazca:

Nazca lines

The Nazca lines are ancient geoglyphs located in the Peruvian department of Ica, which were traced by the pre-Columbian Nazca culture. Source: Diego Delso (public domain)

The representations found in Nazca continue to be a mystery to humanity. Researchers think that if they can understand the 300 figures - which are different from each other - they will not only understand the origin of the world, but also the end of man.

In colombia

Researchers in Colombia often use textual studies: they place more value on books than objects. Because of this, the government of that country stated that the libraries could lend the works to the inhabitants who needed them.

It should be noted that the historians of this nation also approve as historical sources interviews, documentaries, birth certificates and marriage records; but the most used documents are the chronicles, an example is the text Men and Gods, whose author is still unknown:

Men and gods

This chronicle is relevant because it shows how the indigenous people lived before the conquest. Likewise, it reveals that some of the first Europeans to arrive in this country were the Germans, who were looking for a kingdom of gold. Finally it narrates the destiny of the Spanish and the aborigines.

References

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5. Ginzburg, C. (2017). The history and modernity. Retrieved on January 31, 2020 from Science: sciencemag.org
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8. Medina, A. (2012). Theory, sources and method of history. Retrieved on February 1, 2020 from the Central University of Venezuela: ucv.ve
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