Introduction

Historians use the term historical sources to refer to the means by which
historical information is gotten. Again, by historical sources, the historian means
traces that the past has left of itself in the present, in the form of document,
artifacts, buildings, castles and forts, coins, institution, traditions, festivals,
customs and so forth.Historical source simply means soures,where historians
derive there information from.It is note worthy to state that, they are two kinds
of sources of history, namely oral and written sources.we shall examine concisely,
the sources of history before moving on to under see how Archaeology
compliments oral sources of history which is the focal point of this work.

Sources of History

Sources of History,are places, persons or documents in which an historians

derives his information.They are the wellspring in which historians obtain their
information from.

There are two types of sources of history and they are the primary and secondary
sources.primary sources are oral sources while secondary sources are written
sources we shall concisely examine them below:

Oral sources:

Oral sources refers to accounts of history which is being transmitted orally.Oral

histories are accounts given by a person of events earlier in their life. Often, they
are taken by family members, historians, archivists, or others who interview older
people in an attempt to document events and lives that might otherwise be
forgotten.

It is imperative to note that oral sources of history is subdivided into two which
are oral tradition and oral history.

Oral tradition: According to Alagoa 2006 oral tradition are oral testimonies
concerning the past that are reportes.He posited that Oral traditions are accounts
that have been transmitted from one person to another often over considerable
periods of time.Oral tradition refers to accounts of the traditions about the past
passed from generation to generation by word of mouth or other methods. It is
usually passed on in the form of a story, legend, song, myth, folk tales, customs or
other forms of music.

Oral History: This identifies those oral testimonies concerning the past told by
participants in the events or by persons who were eye-witness to them or
belonged to the generation or period in which the events took place.(Alagoa).Oral
history is simply the account of history given by one who had a first hand
experience of that event or was around at that time or period in which the event
took place.

Written sources of history

This refers to documents or written accounts which give information about past
events concerning people.Written sources of history are accounts of events
which are documented.They are testimonies of events which are penned down
and it usually lasts for years to come.Example's of written sources are:

i. Newspapers

ii. Diaries

iii. Travelers’ account

iv. Journal

The relationship between Archaeology and Oral sources of history

Archaeology is the study of a people’s culture of years past through excavation

and examination of material remains that are found. It is the understanding of
human actions in the past through a study of what they did rather than what they
said of themselves. Again, archaeology provides information about how societies
adapted their ways of life to suit their natural environment or how they modified
their environment to suit their way of life. Archaeological information is obtained
through the excavation or digging of specially chosen sites.(falola).In Europe,
archaeology has been a useful source of historical evidence since the 19th century
AD whereas in Africa, it has been helpful in the reconstruction of the past since
the second half of the 20th century.

The archaeologist uses radio-carbon dating (carbon-14 dating) to determine the

age of artefacts. The use of this technique to examine running of houses tools and
weapons etc. has contributed immensely towards the reconstruction of African
history. Among the evidences are the famous Ife works of art in bronze and
pottery, which came to the notice of the world through archeological excavations
in 1910. More over excavated sites at Igbo Ukwu in the south of Enugu-Nigeria
has shown that a highly advanced society existed in that part of Nigeria in the
10th century AD.Also in the Brong-Ahafo region of modern Ghana, excavation
conducted at Begho provided evidence of copper and iron industries. ( Falola)

All this archaeological discoveries has bolstered the oral testimonies that
civilizations actually existed there and has helped to debunk the eurocentric view
of Africa.

Archaeology has helped historians to write history of pre-historic times. Since

writing began late in most parts of the continent, archeology has become the
main source of information for the reconstruction of African history of the distant
past.It has been a reliable source of history since artifacts could be seen and felt.

Conclusion

Archaeology has done a lot to bolster the position of oral history.It helps the
historian to confirm or debunk his information gotten orally.it makes historical
research which was derived from the oral sources credible as it augments with
modern day science and technology thereby lending credence to the said
academic work.

References

Falola.T 2004 sources and methods in Africa history Kings publishers ikeja
Alagoa.E.J 2006 The practice of history in Africa onyeoma research Port Harcourt