Introduction to Ancient History

Introduction Objective Define and explain history.

History: What it is…What it Means Do you know what history is? > it is everything humans have done and thought > more specifically… > history is the story of events > it is the story of nations and persons Examples: how people began writing / World War II / first airplane flight / Scientific Revolution

History: What it is…What it Means How do we know about the past? > there are many sources: > oral / visual / written > we can learn from: > one person’s memory > stories handed down through generations > seeing the past in a piece of Stone Age flint > seeing it in old paintings and photos > reading about the past in old records Examples: ships’ logs / church records / diaries / journals Each fact and story is interesting! Each is important! Each part is history!

History: What it is…What it Means it is impossible to record everything about an event or person facts must be carefully chosen to tell what happened questions have to be asked. Answers must be found different accounts of a single event need to be put together

History: What it is…What it Means > this is the job of a historian: > they try to come up with an accurate story > they look carefully at what they find > they put the past together again > they search for causes of events > they look for history’s effects > sometimes they do not know how or why something happened > they then come up with theories that are based on facts > they may help explain certain events When the facts are put together, a story of events and nations comes forth = The story of humans can be told

What is History? ** History is the study of the past and its effect on the present and future ** Importance of History gain knowledge of your past gain knowledge of humanity as a whole so mistakes are not repeated advancement

** Types of Sources ** Primary Sources: a document written by someone who was present at the time of the event; a witness Examples: diaries / letter from a soldier / recorded speech of Congress / written police report / book / artifact / political cartoon

** Types of Sources ** Secondary Sources: documents that are written after the event by someone who was not a direct witness of the event Examples: your textbook / books / websites encyclopedias / maps

Are The following primary or secondary sources? How can you tell?

Essential Question Why is studying history so important? Explain. Answer the question in three complete sentences in your summary section

Introduction Objective Define and explain history.