NON-WRITTEN SOURCES OF HISTORY

Unwritten sources are as essential as written sources. They are two types: the material

evidence and oral evidence. 

1. Material evidence, also known as archaeological evidence is one of the most

important unwritten evidences. This include artistic creations such as pottery,

jewelry, dwellings, graves, churches, roads, and others that tell a story about the

past. These artifacts can tell a great deal about the ways of life of people in the

past, and their culture. These artifacts can also reveal a great deal about the

socio-cultural interconnections of the different groups of people especially when

an object is unearthed in more one place. Commercial exchange may also be

revealed by the presence of artifacts in different places. Even places that are

thought to be insignificant, such as garbage pits, can provide valuable

information to historians as these can be traces of a former settlement. 

Sometimes, archaeological sites that are of interest to historians are

unearthed during excavations for roads, sewer lines, and big building structures.

Known historical sites are purposely excavated with the hope of reconstructing

and understanding their meaningful past. Moreover, archaeological finds such as

coins or monies can provide historians with significant information relating to

government transactions during which the currencies were in circulation.

Similarly, historians can get substantial information from drawings, etchings,

paintings, films, and photographs. These are the visual representations of the

past. 

2. Oral evidence is also an important source of information for historians. Much

are told by the tales or sagas of ancient peoples and the folk songs or popular

rituals from the premodern period of Philippine history. During the present age,

interviews is another major form of oral evidence.