UNIT 1 Hist 1012 Past Paper PDF

UNIT ONE INTRODUCTION Unit Starters What do we mean by history? What is the relevance of knowing about the past? Have you ever read a historical work? Do you remember the title and author of the work? THE NATURE AND...

UNIT ONE INTRODUCTION Unit Starters What do we mean by history? What is the relevance of knowing about the past? Have you ever read a historical work? Do you remember the title and author of the work? THE NATURE AND USES OF HISTORY  NATURE OF HISTORY The term history derived from the Greek word Istoria, meaning “inquiry” and first used by ancient Greek historians, Herodotus (c. 484–425 B.C.E.) In ordinary usage, history means all the things that have happened in the human past. This includes: The past that still waits to be recorded The accounts of the past provided by historians, that is, ‘history’. Historians apply their expertise to surviving records and write history Academically, history can be defined as an organized and systematic study of the past that involves the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information.  cont'd What actually happened in the past is almost infinite. Historians select which topics and problems they wish to study. The major concern of history is the study of human society and its interaction with the natural environment. What differentiates history from other disciplines is: History deals with the past and others with the present. Because of the longevity of that time, historians organize and divide the human past into separate periods after identifying significant developments in politics, society, economy, culture, environment etc. (PERIODIZATION) cont'd History is conventionally divided into ancient, medieval and modern history. History deals with continuity & change When historians talk about continuities, they are not implying that a particular pattern applied to everyone in the world or even in a particular country or region. Nor are they claiming that absolutely nothing changed in the pattern they are describing. All aspects of human life that is, social, cultural, economic, and political in the past have been changing from time to time. Why we bother with the past while living in the present and anticipating what is yet to come?  Uses of History 1/ History Helps Better Understand the Present 2/ History Provides a Sense of Identity 3/ History Provides the Basic Background for Other Disciplines: (literature, art, philosophy, religion, sociology, political science, anthropology, economics, etc.) 4/ History Teaches Critical Skills: to know how to find and evaluate sources; how to make coherent arguments 5/ History Helps Develop Tolerance and Open-Mindedness 6/ History Supplies Endless Source of Fascination: Exploring the ways people in distant ages constructed their lives offers a sense of beauty and excitement.  Cont'd To conclude: ▪ Through studying history we can grasp how and why things change. Abuse of History ▪ History can also be abused. ▪ Such abuses come mainly from deliberate manipulation of the past to fit current political agenda. ▪ While personal biases are not always avoidable, a historian is different from a propagandist  Sources and Methods of Historical Study Historians are not creative writers like novelists. The work of historians must be supported by evidence arising from sources. “where there are no sources, there is no history”. Historical sources are broadly classified into: 1. Primary sources: original or first hand in their proximity to the event both in time and in space. Eg: Handwritten materials, diaries, letters, minutes, court records and administrative files, travel documents, photographs, maps, video and audiovisual materials, and artifacts  cont'd 2. Secondary sources are second-hand published accounts about past events. They are written long after the event has occurred, providing an interpretation of what happened, why it happened, and how it happened, often based on primary sources. Examples: articles, books, textbooks, biographies, and published stories or movies about historical events. *****Nevertheless, no history work can be taken as final. New sources make possible new historical interpretations Oral data: valuable to study and document the history of non-literate societies, and used to fill missing gaps and corroborate written words. Oral tradition: when people transmit information from one generation to another, through folk songs and folk sayings. Oral history: when people provide oral testimonies of lived experience. cont'd Every data should be subjected to critical evaluation o Primary sources have to be verified for their originality and authenticity o Secondary sources have to be examined for the reliability of their reconstructions. o Oral data may lose its originality and authenticity due to distortion through time. In short, historians (unlike novelists) must find evidence about the past, ask questions of that evidence, and come up with explanations  Historiography of Ethiopia and the Horn Historiography: the history of historical writing, studying how knowledge of the past, either recent or distant, is obtained and transmitted. People have had some sense of the past since the beginning of humanity. Yet historiography is an intentional attempt to understand the past The organized study and narration of the past was introduced by ancient Greek historians notably Herodotus (c. 484–425 B.C.E.) and Thucydides (c.455-400 B.C.E.) Chinese historical thought and writing was flourished during the Han dynasty by Sima Qian (145–86 B.C.E.).  cont'd However history emerged as an academic discipline in the second half of the 19th c first in Europe The German historian, Leopold Von Ranke (1795–1886), and his colleagues established history as an independent discipline o Introduced set of methods and concepts by which historians: ▪ collect evidence of past events ▪ evaluate that evidence ▪ present a meaningful discussion of the subject ❖ Ranke’s is considered as the “father of modern historiography.”  cont'd ***Historiography of Ethiopia & the Horn has changed enormously during the past hundred years. The earliest known reference that we have on history of Ethiopia 1. Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, written in the 1st C A.D by an unknown author. 2. Christian Topography: describing Aksum’s trade and the then Aksumite king’s campaigns composed by Cosmas Indicopleustes in the sixth century A.D. 3. The earliest written Ethiopian material dates from the seventh century A.D. found in Abba Gerima monastery in Yeha. 4. A religious manuscript discovered in Haiq Istifanos monastery in the 13th century A.D. cont'd The value of manuscripts is essentially religious. Yet all the above sources have the benefit of providing insights into the country’s past as they contain the list of medieval kings and their history in brief. The largest groups of sources available for medieval Ethiopian history are hagiographies originating from Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Main function of Hagiographies is enhancing the prestige of saints. A parallel hagiographical tradition existed among Muslim communities of the country. (Eg: regarding the life of Shaykh Ja’far Bukko of Gattira, in Wollo, late 19th C.) cont'd Chronicles Ethiopia had also an indigenous tradition of history writing called chronicles. First appeared in the in Ge’ez in 14th c and continue (sometimes in Amharic) into the early twentieth century o The earliest and the last of such surviving documents are: o the Glorious Victories of Amde-Tsion (The earliest ) o the Chronicle of Abeto Iyasu and Empress Zewditu (the last)  cont'd Chronicles: o incorporate both legends and facts about the monarch’s genealogy, upbringing, military exploits, devotion and statesmanship o known for their factual detail and strong chronological framework o explain historical events mainly in religious terms o They are averse to quantification o They offer little by way of social and economic developments o Yet in conjunction with other sources they can provide us with a glimpse into the character and lives of kings…  Arab writers Written accounts of Arabic-speaking visitors to the coast also provide useful information. Eg: Al-Masudi (10th C) and Ibn Battuta (14th C.) described the culture, language and import-export trade of the east African coast. For 16th and 17th c we have two documents composed by Yemeni writers who were eyewitnesses to the events they described. 1. Futuh al Habesha was composed by Shihab ad-Din, who recorded the conflict between the Christian kingdom and the Muslim principalities 2. Al-Haymi, who led a Yemeni delegation in 1647 to the court of Fasiledes (r. 1632-67).  cont'd Other materials that appeared in the sixteenth century include Abba Bahrey’s Geez script written in 1593 and provide us with first-hand information about the then population movement including the Gadaa System.  cont'd European missionaries and Travelers accounts From the early 16th until the late 19th centuries, missionaries provide us with valuable information focusing on religious and political developments within Ethiopia, and the country’s foreign relations. o Prester John of the Indies, composed by a Portuguese priest, Francisco Alvarez who accompanied the Portuguese mission to the court of Lebne-Dengel in 1520. o James Bruce’s Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile *** Like other sources the missionaries and Travelers’ materials be used with reservations and care.  Foreign writers Hiob Ludolf (1624-1704) Was the founder of Ethiopian studies in Europe in the 17thc. Wrote Historia Aethiopica (translated into English as A New History of Ethiopia) Never visited Ethiopia; he wrote the country’s history largely based on information he collected from an Ethiopian priest named Abba Gorgorios (Abba Gregory) who was in Europe at that time. *** In the 19th c., August Dillman published two studies on ancient Ethiopian history.  Early twentieth century Historiography This period saw the emergence of traditional Ethiopian writers who distance themselves from chroniclers. Unlike chroniclers, these writers dealt with a range of topics from social justice, administrative reform and economic analysis to history. ▪ Taye and Fisseha-Giorgis: the history of Ethiopia ▪ Asme: history of the Oromo people ▪ Afework: wrote the first Amharic novel, Tobiya ▪ Gebre-Hiwot: Atse Menilekna Ityopia (Emperor Menilek and Ethiopia) and Mengistna Yehizb Astedader (Government and Public Administration).  cont'd The most prolific writer of the early twentieth century Ethiopia was Blatten Geta Hiruy Wolde-Selassie. o Hiruy published four major works namely Ethiopiana Metema, Wazema, Yehiwot Tarik and Yeityopia Tarik Gebre-Hiwot and Hiruy exhibited relative objectivity and methodological sophistication. Unfortunately, the Italian occupation of Ethiopia interrupted the early experiment in modern history writing and publications.  After liberation Tekle-Tsadik Mekuria: formed a bridge between writers in pre- 1935 and Ethiopia professional historians and known for better evaluation of sources. Yilma Deressa: Ye Ityopiya Tarik Be’asra Sidistegnaw Kifle Zemen Blatten Geta Mahteme-Selassie Wolde-Meskel: wrote Zikre Neger, comprehensive account of Ethiopia’s prewar land tenure systems and taxation. Another work dealing land tenure is left to us by Gebre-Wold Engidawork, Dejjazmach Kebede Tesema who also wrote his memoir of the imperial period, published as Yetarik Mastawesha in 1962 E.C. cont'd The 1960s The 1960s: was a crucial decade in the development of Ethiopian historiography ▪ History emerged as an academic discipline ▪ Historical studies as a full-time occupation began ▪ The opening of the Department of History at Haile Selassie I University (HSIU) now AAU ▪ The establishment of IES in 1963. Professionalization of history in other parts of the Horn is a post- colonial phenomenon. Foundational research was done at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London and the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  The Geographical Context of Horn of Africa The term “Ethiopia and the Horn” refers to that part of Northeast Africa, which now contains the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. The region consists chiefly of mountains uplifted through the formation of the Great Rift Valley. The major physiographic features of the region are a massive highland complex of mountains and plateaus divided by the Great Rift Valley and surrounded by lowlands, semi-desert, deserts and tropical forests along the periphery. As with the physical features, people across the region are remarkably diverse. cont'd Peoples of the region were never isolated; they interacted throughout history from various locations. The history of Ethiopia and the Horn has been shaped by contacts with others through commerce, movements, wars, slavery, colonialism, and the waxing and waning of state systems. Since early times, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden linked Northeast Africa to the Eastern Mediterranean, the Near and Middle East, India, and the Far East. Likewise, the Indian Ocean has linked East Africa to the Near and Middle East, India and the Far East.  cont'd ***Another element of geography factor that had profound impact on human history is drainage system. *****Ethiopia and the Horn has five principal drainage systems. These are: A. The Nile River B. Gibe/Omo–Gojeb (links southern Ethiopia to the semidesert lowlands of northern Kenya) C. Genale/Jubba-Shebele (rivers originate in the Eastern highlands) D. The Awash River (links the cool rich highlands of Central Ethiopia with the hot, dry lowlands) E. The Ethiopian Rift Valley Lake systems (is a self-contained drainage basin, and includes lakes stretching from Lake Ziway in the north to Lake Turkana (formerly known as Rudolf) on the Ethio-Kenyan border.) Source: Bahru Zewde (Compiled), A Short History of Ethiopia and the Horn (Addis Ababa, 1998), p. 9. Cont’d Thank you!