Page 61 questions

1. What methods and sources do historians use to learn about the past?

Historians can learn about the past using written sources, like books and records from the time, but what different types of people write about the same event may be different (of biased), depending on their point of view. Historians can also get information from oral traditions, because oral traditions change to suit people's needs, so historians can find out what is important in the time. To a historian, a primary source is more valuable than a secondary source, because they think that a primary source is more accurate than a secondary one. Primary sources may include a interview with someone who has been through an event, or someones diary, etc.

2. Is the map on page 39 a primary source or a secondary source? Why?

I think the map is a secondary source, because it's not created at that time, so 'map makers' have to rely on written sources (or other types of sources) to create the map, so the written sources are the primary sources, the map is a secondary source. It might not be very accurate.

3. Why do historians ask questions about their sources?

Historians ask questions because the source may be biased, or it may be exaggerated in order for the author to achieve some type of purpose. Historians may also question a source because they don't know if the author has really been in the event, or just heard the event from someone else (which may be inaccurate).

4. In ancient Rome fewer women than men left behind written sources. How might this have affected historians' knowledge of the history of Rome?

This can affect the knowledge of ancient Rome because what men think about Rome may be completely different from a woman's point of view, so historians might not know as much about how women lived their lives in ancient Rome. Because men left more written sources, the data historians get may also be more biased. They might get much less information about activities women do than the activities men are involved in.

5. Look around your home. What written and nonwritten sources do you see? Make a list of the sources. Then, using one or two of the sources of your list, try to write a history of your family. Follow Thucydides' advice as you write and evaluate your sources carefully.

In my home, there's a few photos on a book shelf, so we know that the family has only one child, the father don't live with the mother and the child, and that the family goes to a cold place in december. The book shelf has a lot of economic and science books on it, so it seems that the mother likes economics and the child likes science. In the living room, there's a classical guitar, a foot rest and a music stand, so we know that one of the family members plays guitar.

The bedrooms are simple, the smaller bedroom has a lot of books, so the owner of the room probably likes to read. The other bedroom is a large one, simple as well, with a few leather bags in a cabinet, so the owner must be a big leather fan...