Sources and Evidence. History is about Time More than just the hands on a clock Evidence Is it for real? Prove it.

HOW IS HISTORY WRITTEN?

Sources and Evidence

History is about

•TimeMore than just the hands on a clock

•EvidenceIs it for real? Prove it.

WHERE DOES EVIDENCE COME FROM? Historians use historical evidence to

construct a picture of the past. They find the evidence they need to do this in sources. A source is anything which survives from the past or tells us about the past

A source becomes evidence if it is used to answer a question about the past

Lead Horse

Armlet jewelry, Majapahit Empire Found in Fort Canning

Earthenware Base

TYPES OF SOURCE

TYPES OF SOURCES

Artefacts are items that were made and used by people of the past.

Examples of artefacts are tools and jewellery

TYPES OF SOURCES

Maps Photographs Paintings/Lithographs

Old map of Singapore

TYPES OF SOURCES

Pictorial sources Examples of such evidence include

paintings, posters, photographs and maps.

TYPES OF SOURCES

Books Journals/logs/diaries Newspaper articles Memoirs

Eyewitness description by Wang Dayuan in his book Dao Yi Zhi Lue:

“The list of products exported to Temasik comprised hornbill casques of a very fine quality, as well as lakawood and cotton of moderate quality. While the range is rather limited when compared to the products avaliable at the Malay Peninsula, the quality and type of products were certainly unique. What was significant was the outstanding quality of the hornbill casques, which were not available elsewhere in Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.”

TYPES OF SOURCES

Written sources Written sources are anything that has

been written down Examples include official records,

newspapers, personal letters and diaries, works of literature and folk stories that have been written down, and messages carved in stone.

TYPES OF SOURCES

Legends Myths Speeches Records of

conversation

TYPES OF SOURCES

Oral sources: This usually refers to the spoken words of eyewitnesses to historical events.

It is often recorded on tape and put in writing.

Examples may include stories, speeches, songs and conversations

Looking at the evidence provided:

Which are primary sources?Which are secondary

sources?

Why do we differentiate between primary and secondary sources?

TYPES OF EVIDENCE

PRIMARY SOURCE

Evidence which is obtained firsthand or directly from the source. They are produced by participants of or eyewitnesses to events

All of the following can be primary sources:

DiariesLettersPhotographsArtMapVideo & film

Sound recordingsInterviewsNewspapersMagazinesPublished first hand

accounts or stories

SECONDARY SOURCE

Usually second hand accounts. Produced later by people who have not experienced the events directly

They act as a useful reference for historians and students who wish to find out more about the history of a period.

All of the following can be secondary sources:

History textbooks Published stories Art Music recordingstextbooks

BiographiesMovies of historical

eventsArticles published in

Newspapers

EXAMPLE

Suppose there has been a car accident. The description of the accident which a witness gives to the police is a primary source because it comes from someone actually there at the time.

The story in the newspaper the next day is a secondary source because the reporter who wrote the story did not actually witness it. The reporter is presenting a way of understanding the accident or an interpretation.

Primary Source

Secondary Source

CHECKLIST

Primary sources

created at the time of an event, or very soon after

created by someone who saw or heard an event themselves

often one-of-a-kind, or rare

letters, diaries, photos and newspapers (can all be primary sources)

Secondary sources created after event;

sometimes a long time after something happened

often uses primary sources as examples

expresses an opinion or an argument about a past event

history text books, historical movies and biographies (can all be secondary sources)

QUIZ TIME

The Mona Lisa - Painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1506 A piece of the original

Magna Carta signed by King John in 1215

A book about the Tudors written in 1999

A mug made in 2003

A cartoon of Napoleon made in 1975

Roman Coins made by the Romans in AD45

A modern print of a Van Gogh painting

QUESTION TO ASK

Is it authentic i.e is it what it really seems to be?

who wrote or drew it?

How reliable is it? Is the evidence it

gives typical?

What source have been used to produce it?

Are the sources on which it is based authentic & reliable

What sources have not been used

Is the historian biased in any way?

Primary Source

Secondary Source

Fact versus Opinion

Statement of fact

Statement of opinion

McDonald’s makes burgers

McDonald’s burgers are the best

ACTIVITY

See if you are able to pick out the factual statements and statements of opinion.

A diary entry of a school boy.

25 Jan 2011

School was terrible today. I overslept and was late for school. Of course the old tyrant Mrs Kwik had to be at the school gate to catch us latecomers. I had to stay in school for detention till 3.30 p.m. The Maths lesson was such a bore. I don’t understand why we have to learn all this algebra. Miss Lim took over our English lesson as Mrs Tan was sick today. That was the only interesting lesson we had the whole day. I think all teachers should be like Miss Lim. She lets us discuss and voice our opinions without criticising us or putting us down.

To top off this lousy day, my football team lost the final game. David was just in front of the goalmouth and he missed it by a mile! He needs to get his eyesight checked!

A diary entry of a school boy.

25 Jan 2011

School was terrible today. I overslept and was late for school. Of course the old tyrant Mrs Kwik had to be at the school gate to catch us latecomers. I had to stay in school for detention till 3.30 p.m. The Maths lesson was such a bore. I don’t understand why we have to learn all this algebra. Miss Lim took over our English lesson as Mrs Tan was sick today. That was the only interesting lesson we had the whole day. I think all teachers should be like Miss Lim. She lets us discuss and voice our opinions without criticising us or putting us down.

To top off this lousy day, my football team lost the final game. David was just in front of the goalmouth and he missed it by a mile! He needs to get his eyesight checked!

PROBLEMS FACED BY HISTORIANS

Lack of funds Difficulty in

deciphering languages

False and exaggerated information

Misleading information

Lack of evidence Bias information

Misinterpretation of evidence

Dating problems Doctored photographs Forced to withhold

evidence – e.g. political

Checking for reliability Destroyed artefacts

??????The Historian’s 3CsCredibility - is the source

trustworthy?

Consistency - are statements consistent?

Corroboration - is the evidence supported by

other evidence?

Artefacts and evidence

These artefacts were found by archaeologists

Han dynasty bronze vase

Clay model of watchtower

New evidence leads to new

interpretations of the past

EvidenceFact vs opinion

- the truth of what you think

Different kinds of evidence- from the mouth to the ground

The 3Cs of evaluation- the three tests historians use