HISTORICAL SOURCES

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES OF ANCIENT EGYPT & ANCIENT SUMER

CONTENTS

HISTORICAL PRIMARY SECONDARY ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES TIPS ON USING

SOURCES SOURCES SOURCES SOURCES
HISTORICAL SOURCES

• History is about detective work – finding out the past.

• Historical sources tells us about history.
• Artifact from a period.
PRIMARY SOURCES

• Comes from the past.

• Available document or physical object written in time.

The epic of
Gilgamesh
• Examples: diaries, letters, interviews, photographs, newspaper
articles, poems.
SECONDARY SOURCES

• A work that comments on the pastand analyses primary sources.

• Examples: A bibliography and a written book.
ADVANTAGES (PRIMARY SOURCES)

• First-hand account and original.

• Talks about your topic and provides information.
• Questions from interview is a great help.
DISADVANTAGES (PRIMARY SOURCES)

• It is not really accurate.

• Some primary sources may talk about critical subject.
• Interviews and surveys consumes time.
• Person surveying must be trained.
ADVANTAGES (SECONDARY SOURCES)

• Secondary sources provide a variety of insights.

• There are good articles from textbooks and encyclopedias.
DISADVANTAGES (SECONDARY SOURCES)

• Need to dig out information.

• Not biased.
• Faulty approach.
• Outdated.
TIPS ON HOW TO USE HISTORICAL SOURCES

• A primary source – Romans made Roman coins

• A secondary source – drawing of the Roman coins in 2003.
• Avoid using labels as explanations.
• Interview people for similar and differences in ideas.