1.10: Using Sources

• History
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

1. The Time of Hunters and Farmers

10. Using Sources

ANCIENT EGYPT

What you will learn in 

this lesson

• What sources are
• Why historians rely on sources for information
• Which 4 types of sources we use
• what the differences between these sources are
• that sources can belong to more than one type.
• that you can tell from a source what type it is.

sources

How do we know what happened in history? Where do we get our information from?

With Biology it is easy. If you want to study a flower, you can get that flower and study it. Flowers are still available.

But if you want to study William of Orange it is more difficult, because he is dead. He can't tell us anything. He is gone.

In fact, all the people from before 1900 are dead. So how do we know what happened with William of Orange and all other people in history?

The answer is: the objects they left behind.

Historians have to collect their information from objects that survive. They call these objects sources.

This painting is a source. It survived and is in a museum. Because of it we know what William of Orange looked like.

written sources

&

non-written sources

Written sources are all the objects that give us written information.

The Rosetta Stone (see picture) is a good example of a written source.

Other examples are: Anne Frank's diary, the Bible, a newspaper from World War 2, hieroglyphics on a temple wall, books, documents, tax records or adverts.

As long as the text gives us information about the time we are studying it is a written source.

Non-written sources are objects that give us non-written information.

Ötzi's body is a good example. Other examples are:

a Greek vase, a Medieval castle, a Viking ship, a uniform from World War 1, paintings, photographs, even films.

primary sources

&

secondary sources

Primary sources come from the time the historian is studying. They can be written or non-written. 

Some primary sources for the First World War would be: letters and diaries written by soldiers, their uniforms and their weapons. 

Buildings, archaeological remains, paintings and objects are all valuable primary sources.

Secondary sources do not come directly from the events they discuss. They are sources based on other sources. Books about the First World War by modern historians, or school textbooks about the First World War (see picture), are examples of secondary sources. 

The author of this book about World War 1 has used many primary sources (both written and non-written) for his book.

1a. A source is an object from the past

1. true
2. false

1b. A written source ALWAYS contains text

1. true
2. false

1c. A photograph can never be a written source

1. true
2. false

1d. Only few written sources survived from prehistory

1. true
2. false

1f. A source is primary when it was made in the time that we are studying

1. true
2. false

1g. A source can be secondary OR written, but NOT both

1. true
2. false

1h. A source is a written source if it contains written text that we can use for information

1. true
2. false

2. A source is primary or secondary.
But it is ALSO written or non-written.
Of each of the following sources choose the correct type.

click the green eye for more information

source A

Egyptian statue, made in 1150 BC

1. primary + written
2. primary + non-written
3. secondary + written
4. secondary + non-written

source B

A reconstruction drawing of a family cooking in the Neolithic period

© Historic England (drawing by Peter Urmston)

1. primary + written
2. primary + non-written
3. secondary + written
4. secondary + non-written

source C

prehistoric Cave painting in Lascaux, France. Made around 15,000 BC

1. primary + written
2. primary + non-written
3. secondary + written
4. secondary + non-written

source D

New York Times, newspaper from Sept 12th, 2001

1. primary + written
2. primary + non-written
3. secondary + written
4. secondary + non-written

This is a page from the diary of Anne Frank. Anne wrote her diary between 1942 and 1944. The diary is an important written primary source for people studying the life of Jewish people during World War 2.

This is not the original diary. It is a printed copy, translated in English. But because it contains the exact words of Anne Frank's diary (although translated into another language) it still is a written primary source.

source E

De Bello Gallico = The Gallic War

English translation, 192 pages

author: Gaius Julius Caesar

1. primary + written
2. primary + non-written
3. secondary + written
4. secondary + non-written

source F

Julius Caesar (Command) Paperback – June 22, 2010

by Nic Fields (Author)

1. primary + written
2. primary + non-written
3. secondary + written
4. secondary + non-written

not always easy

Look at the picture. It is a picture of a Roman coin found in Israel. But is it a written source or is it a non-written source?

That depends on the information you need. If you want to know what material the Romans used to make coins you can use this as a non-written source. It is just the object you are interested in.

But if you are studying the history of the Romans it is the text that is important. On the top left side we find the name Vespasian. He was an emperor who ruled from 69 till 79 AD. On the bottom right you can see the text Iudea Capta. It means "Judea (the Roman name for Israel) conquered". We can infere from these texts that the Romans conquered Judea in the time that Vespasian was emperor.

You can see the text: Iudea capta. 

The coin gives us written information, so it is a written source. But it is also an object with an image. So is it also a non-written source?

One thing is certain: it is a primary source because it was made by the Romans in the 1st century AD.

One thing you must decide: 

Is the picture the source, or the object IN the picture?

Four sources of the temple of Taffeh

source G

March 15th 2017: election day in the Netherlands. people can vote in the Egyptian temple in the Rijksmuseum voor Oudheden in Leiden. The temple of Taffeh, built between 27 BC and 14 AD was a gift from the Egyptian government to the Netherlands in 1979.

It has been restored and has since been in the Rijksmuseum voor Oudheden in Leiden.

source H

Picture of the temple of Taffeh in Egypt. The picture was taken in 1960

source J

a modern book about the history of the temple of Taffeh

source I

a drawing, made in 1890. It shows the ruined temple of Taffeh in Egypt

3. Of each of the sources g, h, i, j, write down
what type of source it is

4a. You are a student working on a project.
You are using source g.

The source not only gives you information about the Egyptian temple.
Think of another subject that this source is useful for

4b. You are a student working on a project.
You are using source i.

The source not only gives you information about the Egyptian temple.
Think of another subject that this source is useful for.

Glossary

Lesson 1.10

• sources
  
• written sources
  
• non-written sources
• primary sources
• secondary sources

These words are NOT in the glossary in your textbook.

Use this LessonUp to find their meaning.

Copy this in your notebook and fill in the gaps.

Summary Lewsson 1.10

All our information about what happened in history comes from ___________.

Sources are remains from the _________.

We have two main types of sources:

A _____________ and ________________ sources

B _____________ and ________________ sources

Every source belongs to both categories.

5. Over time you must learn to make your own summaries.
What have you learned so far?

1. a summary contains examples
2. a summary does not contain examples

Do you think that this lesson was enough for you to understand the learning goals?

1. yes, I got it.
2. no, I still do not understand everything

Was your answer in the previous question "A"?
Then you can fill in "OK".

Was your answer in the previous question "B"?
Then write down what part of the lesson you do not understand and (if you can) what can help you.

congratulations