Types of Historical Sources

Study Notes

Historical sources are materials utilized for writing history and include various classifications.

Published Materials: Available to the public, including books, magazines, journals, travelogues, and speech transcripts.
Manuscripts: Handwritten or typed records that are unpublished, encompassing archives, memoirs, and diaries.
Non-Written Sources: Oral history, artifacts, ruins, fossils, artworks, and audio/video recordings that provide insight into past events.

Involve individuals or groups directly associated with an event, either as participants or eyewitnesses.
Include diaries, letters, legal documents, and photographs that offer firsthand accounts.

Written Sources: Documents created by firsthand eyewitnesses.
Images: Visual representations made or published by those who witnessed the events.
Artifacts: Physical items created by firsthand eyewitnesses.
Oral Testimonies: Conversations documented by firsthand witnesses.

Analyze and interpret primary sources, often containing pictures, quotes, or graphics related to the primary data.

Tests to assess the authenticity of historical documents.
Anachronistic Document Date: Evaluates if the document's date fits within its intended timeframe.
Author Identification: Establishes the true author through handwriting and signatures.
Anachronistic Style: Examines idiomatic expressions and orthography for chronological accuracy.
Anachronistic Event Reference: Determines if references to events are temporally appropriate.
Provenance or Custody: Investigates the document's history and ownership to ascertain authenticity.
Semantics: Analyzes text for meaning, ensuring clarity and accuracy.
Hermeneutics: Focuses on understanding ambiguities in the text.

Evaluates the credibility of eyewitness reports and accounts.
Author’s Identification: Assesses the author's reliability based on their experiences and biases.
Date Approximation: Ensures the event's date aligns closely with historical verification.
Ability to Tell the Truth: Investigates the nearness and competence of witnesses to establish credible facts.
Willingness to Tell the Truth: Evaluates the author's intent in conveying truthful narratives.
Corroboration: Checks if information supports or confirms established historical facts.

Artifacts: Objects produced by humans reflecting specific cultural contexts.
Sociofacts: Information or traditions linked to a cultural artifact; how societies are organized.
Mentifacts: Ideas, beliefs, and values associated with artifacts; they reflect societal attitudes.

A systematic approach to examining past events, leveraging historical criticism to evaluate sources.
Recognizes the surrounding context of a passage, which may enhance its interpretive meaning.