History 1
“Historians restore the past by snippets of
PRELIM EXAM POINTERS
What are “History” and “Historical Sources”
History - Greek noun: loropia (learning)
- A systematic account of a set of natural
phenomena chronologically
- “The past of mankind”
Latin word: scientia (science)
- Designate non-chronological systematic
accounts of natural phenomena
Greek word: geschichte (which has happened)
- Geschehen (to happen)
“History cannot be reconstructed.”
- events , words, persons, etc. made no
impression or have been forgotten
Subjectivity - facts of meaning
- Cannot be seen, felt, tasted, etc.
- Symbolic of something that once was real
- Exist only in the observer’s or historian’s
mind
- Recollections; spoken testimony
- Commonly has vulgar prejudice (personal
considerations)
- Untrue or biased
Objectively - there is an object of evidence
- Independent existence outside the human
mind
Written document - records of events
Artifacts - results of events
- Some historical truths can be derived from
- Historical context can be given ONLY if it
can be placed in a human setting.
“Historians aim to interpret (why and how) as
well as descriptive (what, when, where, who).
They need further evidence to recapture with
a degree of certainty.”
“Most human affairs happen without leaving
records. Only a small part of what happened
in the past was observed and expounded by
the historian.”
History-as-actuality - whole history of the past
History-as-record - surviving record of it
“Historians use history-as-records to express
their understanding (spoken-or-written-history).”
memories and experience of theirs and other
people to reconstruct such events, which is
SUBJECTIVE.”
“Historians also aim for verisimilitude
(resembling reality) - a subjective process. They
deal with only human testimony, theirs,
people's mental images, and scattered and
limited objects to study.”
Historical Method - process of critically
examining and analyzing the records and survivals
of the past.
Historiography - imaginative reconstruction of the
past from the data derived in historical method.
- Synthesis of particulars
“Historians' imagination MUST be directed
towards re-creation. He is required to imagine
things that MUST have happened.”
Historical Analysis:
1. Selection of subject
2. Collection of probable sources of information
3. Examination of the sources
4. Extraction of credible particulars
Primary Source - testimony of an eyewitness
- Present at the event
Secondary Source - not present at the event but
can narrate what happened
A document is original when:
1. It has fresh and creative ideas.
2. It is not translated from other languages.
3. It is in its earliest, unpolished stage.
4. Its text was approved, unmodified, and
untampered.
5. It is the earliest available source of
information.
“Historians NEED the primary particulars of
the primary and original sources.”
Document - docere (to teach)
- Only official and state papers
Human Document - account of individual
experience which reveals their actions.
- Experience in social life
Personal Document - self-revealing record that
intentionally or unintentionally gives information.
- The author’s mental life
The Problem of Authenticity, or External Historical Testimony
Criticism
1. Observation
2. Recollection
Authentic - quality of being genuine or real. 3. Recording
- Frequent in manuscript sources

Conditions:
“Historians distinguish hoaxes using tests.”
1. Unbiased
1. Date of the document (anachronistic: 2. Truthful
belonging to another period rather than 3. Matter of common knowledge
what it was written) 4. Incidental and probable statements, error is
2. Identify the author (isographies: unlikely
handwriting, sigillography: seal, signature, 5. Witness did not entirely said what did he
etc.) know, higher credibility

Garbled Documents - large part of document was
deceiving
- Due to complete omission. repetition,
addition, modifying, or continue the original
document
Assyriologists - publish and translate texts found
on clay tablets.
Corroboration - evidence which supports a
statement
- Have conformity and agreement
Certitude - feeling absolutely convinced based on
belief
Certainty - certain based on facts

Philology - derivation from variant texts of the

most authentic ones.

Epigrapher - restores and edits the texts of Greek

and Latin.

Paleographer - authenticate medieval charters by

their handwriting.

Archaeologist - excavates ancient sites (artifacts)

External Criticism - guess the date and

identification of the author

The Problem of Credibility, or Internal

Criticism

Internal Criticism - examines if text is credible

Credible - close to what actually happened

Historical Fact - particulars derived from historical

documents regarded as credible after performing
historical methods.

4 Aspects of Historical Subject

1. Biographical
2. Geographical
3. Chronological
4. Occupational or Functional

Personal Equation - frame of reference of a

historian.